Spotlight on Energy
Every little bit saves $$

By Jonathan Gramling

Part 4

    Since June 2007, the price of a barrel of crude oil has jumped from $60 to approximately $93. Natural gas prices are
also up as we enter the heating season. During the heating season, which roughly runs from the middle of October through
April, a household’s utility cost can skyrocket, often times quadrupling at the height of the winter season in January and
February.
    While high heating costs can put a crimp in the budget of the typical middle class family, depending upon how new and
well insulated their home is, a sudden escalation of energy costs can have a devastating impact on economically-
challenged households. A spike in the monthly bill can force a family to make a choice between eating and heat.
As a service to our readers, The Capital City Hues in collaboration with MG&E and the Wexford Ridge Women Rise Up group
is featuring a series of articles on how to save on heating costs.
    Brenda Bollig lives on a limited income in a rented townhouse with her two grandchildren. On her own, she has taken
several steps to reduce her energy consumption. She has regulated her heater and air conditioner to use the least amount of
energy possible.
    And yet, home energy conservation measures are not always enough to help a household like Brenda’s keep its energy
bill within the family budget. While she has been caring for her two grandsons for some time now, she recently took charge
of her infant granddaughter last November. There is little room for error in Brenda’s budget. She is loathing getting her
energy bill. “I haven’t gotten hit real hard yet, so I plan to have a good cry in January,” she lamented.
    So Brenda made an appointment with Energy Services, Inc. at 1225 S. Park Street, across from Copp’s supermarket.
Energy Services manages federal, state and private funds that help low to moderate income families with their heating bills
through cash subsidies paid directly to the account of the household at their utility company. Since Brenda receives a small
quantity of Food Stamps each month, she more than likely qualifies for an energy subsidy. But even if she received no
public subsidy, she may qualify for some assistance because funds have been established to help those whose income is
above the federal and state guidelines, but still are in dire need of assistance with their energy bill.
    When Brenda comes to Energy Services, there are no long lines for her to contend with. She is greeted by the
receptionist who refers her to Katie Zellars, the energy assistance programs coordinator at Energy Services. Katie ushers
Brenda into her office and the intake interview begins.
    Brenda has been to Energy Services before, so a lot of her information including the social security numbers and
birthdates for her two grandsons have already been verified and entered into the system. As the interview commences, Katie
verifies Brenda’s address. Brenda has moved since the last time she was at Energy Services and so she gives the new
address, which is verified by the copies of the utility bills she has brought with her. Katie asks for her phone number and
verifies her birth date.
    Next Katie verified that Brenda receives a housing subsidy at her complex.. She then verifies the number of bedrooms
Brenda has, the fact that she pays for all of her utilities, the number of rooms in her house and that her townhouse is
attached to a series of six townhouses.
    The next series of questions verified who was living in the house. No one is disabled and Brenda has three children living
with her. When asked if the children have social security cards, Brenda replied that the youngest who was born about a
month before the interview didn’t have a social security number yet. Katie asked if Brenda had food stamps and she said that
she received about $6 a month for the kids.
    Katie then looked over the records of the past energy usage of the townhouse where Brenda lives. “Usage can get pretty
high in the house in the winter time,” Katie said. “So you definitely want to make sure you take those tips to heart that
Charles went over with you. Make sure you keep the house at 68 degrees. I just want to warn you that it that the bill got way
up there with the previous tenant.”
    This is one of the measures that Brenda had implemented herself. “I have been doing that,” Brenda replied. “I have been
setting [my thermostat] at 68 degrees when I leave the house. I usually don’t jack it up over 70 degrees, but there is a baby in
the house, so I put it at 71-72 degrees.”
    After looking at Brenda’s energy bills and usage, Katie verified Brenda’s income. While child support has been
adjudicated for her grandchildren, Brenda has never received it. She receives kinship grants from the county, but they are
not included as income for the determination of her benefits. Brenda works part-time at a non-profit and she has been asked
to bring in her pay stubs from the previous three months. Unfortunately, Brenda is missing one stub. Katie gives her a fax
cover sheet and tells Brenda that she can fax it back to the office, a relief to Brenda since she lives on the far west side of
Madison.
    Since the whole system is computerized, Katie can instantly make some determinations. She delivers some good news to
Brenda. “It looks like you will be eligible unless that last pay check I’m missing was a big huge amount, Katie said. “I doubt
it,” Brenda replied. “My pay checks are getting smaller this time of year because we’re not as busy at work and so I don’t have
as many hours.”
    And while Brenda’s household has been economically challenged, Brenda has been responsible in paying her energy
bills. She is about to be rewarded. “With your great payment history, we can probably help you out with an additional MG&E
Energy Funds payment,” Katie said. “You will receive a state fund. You get the heating and electric benefit, which will go
directly to your MG&E account. Within 45 days after you send me the pay check, you’ll get a letter from the state what the
benefits are. And probably a week or two later, you’ll get a letter from us saying you will be able to get so much from the
MG&E Energy Fund, which will also go to your account. And being up to date on your balance should get you a real nice
credit. I would suggest that you pay something on your bill each month to keep up that payment history. Maybe just pay half
your bill and that will make the credit last for even longer. And you won’t get out of the habit of paying your bill.”
Brenda is relieved and ecstatic. “Wonderful,” she exclaimed. “You made my day. This is such a burden lifted. It really is.
That is my biggest bill.”
    In just 20 minutes, the entire interview has been completed and Brenda has learned an initial determination — pending
her last pay stub — on her eligibility. “I felt great about this process,” Brenda said afterwards. “It’s real simplified and easy to
get through. And I’m comfortable with it. I was surprised it only took 20 minutes.”
    Brenda is now set to deal with the cold months lying ahead — December, January and February — because she has
implemented home energy conservation measures and sought assistance with her monthly energy bill through Energy
Services. With these two equally important measures, she should make it through the winter without busting her household
budget.
    To see if your household might qualify for an energy subsidy, consult the chart on the previous page or call Energy
Services at (608) 267-8601.
Brenda Bollig (l) goes through an intake
interview at Energy Services, Inc. on S. Park
Street’