LIHEAP Enhancement Plan (2011)

In 2011, the Rhode Island General Assembly passed the Henry Shelton Act, which established a Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Enhancement Plan (LIHEAP Enhancement Plan). The LIHEAP Enhancement Plan created a funding stream to supplement federal LIHEAP funding, which provides short-term assistance to low-income households to address home heating and cooling costs. The Act authorizes an annual LIHEAP Enhancement Charge on all electric and natural gas customer bills, intended to generate a total of between $6.5 and $7.5 million per year for additional direct rate relief to customers already receiving federal LIHEAP assistance payments.