Households in the Norton Sound region will again receive $575 toward their electric utility bills
The Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation (NSEDC) Board of Directors has voted to issue a $575 energy subsidy to every household in its 15 member communities. NSEDC staff will conduct the sign-up process in each of the 15 member communities throughout the month of February.
“We at NSEDC are so grateful to be able to again provide this assistance to the residents of our region,” said NSEDC Board Chairman Dan Harrelson from White Mountain. “We hear over and over how helpful the subsidy can be during a time of the year when energy bills are at their highest and employment opportunities are at their lowest.”
Energy subsidies were issued at the $500 level by the NSEDC Board of Directors in 2008, 2012 and 2014. In 2015-2017, the NSEDC Board issued the energy subsidy at $575 per household, paying approximately $1.5 million to local electric utilities on behalf of residents each of those three years. The subsidies issued over the six years have saved households in NSEDC’s 15 member communities a total of approximately $8.4 million. With roughly 2,700 households in the region, NSEDC is expected to infuse nearly $1.6 million toward household utility expenses in the coming months.
Those living off the electrical grid will be given the opportunity for a $575 heating fuel credit to the fuel vendor in their community. As in the past, the 2018 initiative is an isolated contribution and the energy subsidy is not necessarily a continuing program.
NSEDC Community Benefits department staff will issue the 2018 electric utility subsidy as they have in the previous years, and households will sign up directly with NSEDC and see their savings in their monthly electric utility bills. NSEDC staff will begin facilitating the sign-up process this week, with a goal to have all payments completed by April. Notices will be posted in every community, informing residents of the sign-up date and location. A schedule is also attached to this release.
Those residents who are unable to sign up during the scheduled event in their community are asked to contact Kerilee Ivanoff in Unalakleet by phone at 1-800-385-3190 or by email at kerilee@nsedc.com. NSEDC will accept subsidy applications up until March 16. Subsidy recipients are also reminded that they need to continue to pay their monthly electric bills until the subsidy is applied in April.
For more information on the issuance of NSEDC’s 2018 Energy Subsidy, contact Community Benefits Director Paul Ivanoff III in Unalakleet at (800) 385-3190 or pivanoff@nsedc.com.
Click here for a schedule of the 2018 Energy Subsidy Sign-ups.
