Help for heat: UGI offers utility bill assistance in Allentown

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Even after all this time, Michelle Hadley has not become numb to the need.

Hadley and her team of UGI Utilities Inc. representatives were at the Allentown Salvation Army on Wednesday, assisting qualified low-income residents of the Lehigh Valley to better manage their monthly UGI bill.

The assistance is made possible through UGI’s Customer Assistance Program, or CAP — which establishes a manageable monthly payment, bill forgiveness and/or debt forgiveness for current customers — and its Operation Share Energy Fund grant program.

“With cuts to federal programs, people are always trying to find a way to get help and it’s only getting worse,” said Hadley, an outreach representative III at UGI.

Recent and proposed federal budget cuts to energy assistance programs have negatively affected utility bills for low-income Americans in the throes of financial hardship.

“The cuts keep coming, but they need to keep their heat on,” Hadley said. “Many of these people are in desperate straits.

"Some are faced with either paying rent, paying for food, paying their UGI bill. When you hear these stories from people, it comes in waves.

“But it does feel good when we can help them manage their bills.”

‘I really appreciate a program like this’

In the first hour of Wednesday's four-hour event, 24 families or individuals of different ages and races were evaluated to learn if they qualify for assistance with their UGI bill.

Residents were required to present legal identification, documented proof of household income, and their UGI bill.

Among them was "Jennifer" (she asked her surname not be used). The 34-year-old single mother of four from Bethlehem said she rents a single-family home and pays $225 a month to UGI.

“The gas is high,” she said. “I’m hoping I’ll be getting a monthly bill that is more manageable. I really appreciate a program like this to lower my costs.”

Darien Huaman, Allentown Salvation Army director of social services, said her organization contracts with UGI to process applications through CAP and Operation Share.

“To qualify for CAP, an applicant’s income can’t exceed 150 percent of what the federal government has determined to be the poverty line,” Huaman said.

For 2025, the threshold for a single person in the contiguous states is $15,650, while for a family of four it is $32,150. These numbers are updated annually for inflation.

“UGI determination is income based on a percentage of gross income,” Huaman said. “If [gas] usage is low monthly, it would be based on that, not income.”

‘Don't got money, but I got my pride'

UGI’s credit forgiveness program is based on the difference between actual billed usage and what you have to pay on CAP. The difference is forgiven by UGI when customers make on-time monthly payments.

The pre-program arrearage forgiveness program is a monthly forgiveness on any past-due balance prior to starting on CAP. One-thirty-sixth of a customer’s debt will be forgiven with each monthly payment.

CAP amounts are based on either a percentage of your income or the average bill at your home, whichever is lower.

To remain on CAP, customers must recertify annually. UGI will mail a recertification application as that time approaches.

During Wednesday's application process, a gentleman was lamenting the financial squeeze he and his wife endure each month.

“After my rent, food, gas and electric and other things, we don’t have much left for the month,” he said. “We really need help like this to get by.”

The man asked that his identity not be published. His reason:

“I don’t got money, but I got my pride.”

Information about the program can be found by emailing UGI at assistance@ugi.com or phoning 1-800-276-2722.