March 01, 2023

Senator Warren Announces Additional $37 Million to Help Massachusetts Families, $55,000 to Help Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe Save on Home Energy Bills

Senator Warren, lawmakers successfully fought for $1 billion in additional funding for LIHEAP

In FY 2023, Massachusetts has received $196 million in federal LIHEAP funds; maximum benefit covers $2,200 in winter home heating costs

Washington, D.C. – In an effort to help more Massachusetts residents reduce their home energy costs, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) announced that Massachusetts is getting an additional $37 million and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe will receive an additional $55,000 through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), thanks to the Biden Administration releasing $1 billion in LIHEAP aid to states nationwide.

“No family should have to choose between paying their energy bills and putting food on the table during the cold winter months,” said Senator Warren. “LIHEAP is a lifeline for our communities – and I’ll keep fighting to lower energy costs for families across Massachusetts so they aren’t faced with this impossible choice.” 

This latest allocation brings Massachusetts’s FY 2023 appropriation for LIHEAP up to $196 million so far this year and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe’s appropriation to $294,000. 

LIHEAP is a federally funded program that helps low-income households with their home energy bills by providing payment and energy crisis assistance to pay for gas, electric, and other methods customers use to heat their homes. Nationwide, an estimated 5.3 million households received assistance with heating and cooling costs through LIHEAP. Over 130,000 Massachusetts households received LIHEAP funding last winter. 

Earlier this month, Senator Warren joined Senators Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), and thirty other senators in a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra urging the swift allocation of remaining emergency LIHEAP funds. After this latest $1 billion drawdown, HHS still has about $500 million in LIHEAP reserves that will be distributed to states later this year.

Massachusetts residents wishing to apply for LIHEAP may visit the Massachusetts Housing and Community Development website to get more information and links to an online application. 

Senator Warren has taken a number of steps to address high fuel costs this year and help American families, while also working to promote a clean energy independence to prevent such future spikes in energy costs:

  • In February 2023, Senators Warren and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) sent a letter to the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities urging the department to review and approve municipal aggregation plans that would reduce increases in electricity costs for Massachusetts families. 
  • In March 2022, Senators Warren and Markey sent a letter to President Biden, urging him to use his executive authority to promote development and adoption of clean energy and energy-efficient electric technologies to reduce energy costs for Americans and combat the climate crisis. 
  • In January 2022, Senator Warren joined Senator Markey to introduce the Heating and Cooling Relief Act, which would invest in and expand LIHEAP to universalize energy assistance for all of those who need it. This would save families from housing and food insecurity as they cope with high energy bills, while also increasing funding for weatherization, promoting renewable energy use, and aiding with climate adaptation.
  • In November 2021, Senator Warren joined Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) to introduce the Clean Energy for All Homes Act, which would help middle-class and lower-income families afford solar roofs and other renewable energy technology installations by lessening the cost burden of installing these systems.

###