Millions of American families are struggling to afford their energy bills. This situation could worsen as electricity prices — particularly in the Northeast — face potential hikes due to reciprocal tariffs from Canada. As energy prices fluctuate, and federal assistance programs face potential cuts, cities, states and utilities must take proactive steps to strengthen the energy safety net, ensuring that their most vulnerable residents can keep their lights on and homes heated and cooled.

Department of Energy Secretary Chris Wright, in his introductory remarks after swearing in, shared a troubling statistic: one in 10 Americans had received a utility disconnection notice in the past year, demonstrating the importance of strengthening the energy safety net. In his new role, one of his goals would be to “shrink that number to zero” by making energy more abundant and affordable. By flooding the market with fossil fuels again, the price of electricity and gas would decrease. However, the primary federal program to tackle energy affordability — the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) — does not fall under Secretary Wright’s purview.

LIHEAP is funded through the Department of Health and Human Services, and Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has reportedly terminated the entire staff running the $4 billion LIHEAP program. In 2023, more than 7 million Americans received assistance through LIHEAP. Despite its importance, LIHEAP reaches only 17% of eligible households, leaving a gaping hole in the energy safety net. Without it, those relying on it to meet energy needs will be at grave risk. Some have called for the modernization of LIHEAP, but these days the imperative must be to simply preserve it. Ongoing cuts to the program would likely push millions of Americans to experience the ill health effects and fatal consequences of energy insecurity.

Historically, states have relied on LIHEAP as the primary source of energy bill assistance. However, with rising demand and uncertainty about its future, local and state governments, along with utilities, must take greater action to tackle the growing energy affordability crisis.

Read the full article about improving the energy safety net by Diana Hernández and Vivek Shastry at Utility Dive.