There are more than 305,000 low-and-moderate-income Connecticut households that collectively will be unable to afford $784 million in home energy costs this year, according to a report released Wednesday by Operation Fuel.
That’s up from 295,000 households and $700 million a year ago, the nonprofit said. The financial gap has more than tripled since 2006, driven by rising electricity bills and other factors.
Those costs have burdened private and public heating assistance programs, the report said.
Operation Fuel said it disbursed $3 million to nearly 7,000 households in fiscal year 2014.
The biggest source of fuel aid for Connecticut resident, the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, faces a $5.5 million reduction this winter, the report said.Â
Correction: The original version of this story did not fully describe the components of the affordability gap. The calculation includes heating, cooling and electricity costs, not just fuel costs. The headline has been amended to reflect the correction.
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