With intermittent warm weather days expected for the upcoming week, the Kansas Cold Weather Plan, which keeps utilities from cutting off utilities to residences when the weather will not rise above 32 degrees, may not offer individuals who are behind on their bills the protection plan they were depending on.
If you’re one of those individuals, here are some options for assistance from the Kansas City Board of Public Utilities (BPU).
• BPU’s Customer Hardship Payment Service Program – A financial assistance program providing eligible participants help with offsetting their utility expenses related to health emergencies, change in employment or income status, and unforeseen expenses. This program is administered for BPU by the United Way.
Interested applicants can call the special Hardship Hotline at 913-371-6772 or the United Way directly at 2-1-1 for more information.
• Community Assistance Programs – In concert with BPU’s Hardship Assistance program outlined above, this provides another layer of assistance to help keep BPU customers stable. households in our community stable Under this program, funds are disbursed thru the
United Way to eight partner agencies including Avenue of Life, Cross-Lines, El Centro,
Catholic Charities, Economic Opportunity Foundation, Salvation Army-KCK, and others or you can enroll in this program by calling the United Way at 2-1-1.
• Utility Payment Arrangement Options – BPU is willing to work with customers to
assist them with a variety of payment arrangement options. As with any financial
obligation, the sooner customers reach out when they are experiencing financial
issues, the more BPU and other organizations can assist. Customers can set up
payment arrangements by calling 913-573-9145. All other BPU billing or customer
service questions can be answered by calling 913-573-9190.
• FlexPay – allows customers to monitor their electricity and water on an “as-needed”
basis, with services purchased on a pre-paid basis. There are no deposits and no late
fees. Call 913-573-9190 to enroll in this program.
• The Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) – A Federally funded program
that helps eligible households pay a portion of their home energy costs by providing a
one-time per year benefit, is now available for eligible Kansans.
The program is managed and administered by the State of Kansas Department for
Children and Families (DCF), with the 2024 application open through March 29.
To qualify, applicants must be responsible for direct payment of their heating
bills, with income eligibility requirements set at 150% of the federal poverty level. For a family of one, the maximum income is $1,823 per month, for a family of three it’s $3,108 per month.
To learn more about eligibility requirements, find additional information, or complete a LIEAP application, interested parties should go to the State of Kansas DCF website or call the State of Kansas DCF offices directly at 1-888-369-4777. The program is managed and administered by the State of Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF). Here’s a shortcut to the online site – https://bit.ly/3ujO6t9
• Home Weatherization – At no charge, income-eligible families can receive a
comprehensive home energy audit, assessing their entire home.
Certified energy auditors will search a home, inside and out, looking for inefficiencies
and safety concerns using advanced equipment and identify a customized account of
areas for cost-effective improvements.
The improvements will be provided free of charge by a network of professional crews
and contractors. For more information or to enroll, go to
www.ECKAN.org/weatherization/ or call 785-242-6413. This program is funded by the
Department of Energy (DOE) and Low-Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP) and
regulated by the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation.
