Governor Edward G. Rendell has announced a two-week extension of the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, better known as LIHEAP. The application period, originally set to end April 2, will now close April 16.

LIHEAP provides cash grants to help low-income households pay for home heating fuel and crisis grants to address heating emergencies such as a furnace failure or unexpected fuel shortages.

“This was a harsh and difficult winter that forced many families to expend additional resources to heat their homes,” Governor Rendell said. “By extending the application deadline, we can ensure that our most vulnerable residents have the resources they need to cover those unplanned expenses.”

Governor Rendell stated that changes in the program have allowed for more efficient management of LIHEAP, which freed resources to allow for the extension. LIHEAP is administered through the Department of Public Welfare and since the program opened last November for the current season, LIHEAP has helped 382,046 families through cash grants and 111,178 households with crisis grants.

Cash grants are based on income, family size, type of heating fuel and region. Crisis grants are provided to resolve heating emergencies.

In addition to proof of income and household size, applicants must provide a recent bill or a statement from their fuel dealer verifying their customer status and the type of fuel that they use.

Applications are available at county assistance offices, local utility companies and community service agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging or community action agencies. Applicants can call the LIHEAP hotline at 1-866-857-7095, Monday through Friday (individuals with hearing impairments may call the TDD number at 1-800-451-5886).

Applications can also be submitted online at www.compass.state.pa.us.

In most counties, individuals seeking crisis grants should contact their local county assistance office. Residents of the counties listed below are encouraged to contact the agencies that operate the crisis component in their areas:

• Allegheny - Allegheny County Department of Human Services, (800) 851-3838;
• Carbon - Carbon County Action Committee, (610) 377-6400;
• Centre - Central PA Community Action Agency, (814) 765-1551 or Millheim Family Service Center, (814) 349-5850 or (800) 822-2610;
• Lackawanna - Scranton-Lackawanna Human Development Agency, (570) 963-6836;
• Lancaster - Community Action Program of Lancaster County, (800) 732-0018;
• Luzerne - Commission on Economic Opportunity of Luzerne County, (800) 822-0359; and,
• Wyoming - Commission on Economic Opportunity of Wyoming Co., (570) 836-4090

To ensure they have the resources needed to heat their homes for the entire winter, LIHEAP consumers are urged to keep their heat set at 65 degrees. Homes with young children or older adults should be kept no cooler than 68 degrees.

Visit www.turnsealsave.org to learn about available assistance programs, energy conservation and home weatherization tips.

Household sizes and income limits for the current LIHEAP season are as follows:

1 -- $16,245
2 -- $21,855
3 -- $27,465
4 -- $33,075
5 -- $38,685
6 -- $44,295
7 -- $49,905
8 -- $55,515
(For each additional person add $5,610).