My meeting with HEAP went as expected. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t terrible either. This does help us with our utilities by leveling out the payments. As an example, we now pay $130/month for gas and $130/month for electric.

It’s very similar to being on a budget. The upside is if the actual amount due is higher than the $130/month, we only pay the $130.00. The downside is just the opposite. If we owe less, we pay the $130.00 anyway. It’s a give and take.

The set monthly payment is part of the PIPP program. HEAP helps pay down your balance by making a one time payment to each utility. My appointment today was actually a PIPP reverification. In the reverification process, our monthly payment has almost doubled.

If you are struggling with your utilities, check out HEAP and/or PIPP in your area.