Many agencies have exhausted their resources for the 2021-2022 fiscal year, but Superior Watershed Partnership’s Michigan Energy Assistance Program (SWP MEAP) has funding for a limited time to assist Upper Peninsula residents with their heat and electric costs. SWP urges Upper Peninsula residents struggling with paying their heat and electric bills to contact the SWP MEAP Energy and Climate Office for assistance with home energy bills and energy efficiency services at 906-273-2742.
Getting started is easy and the SWP MEAP team is available to help you through the State Emergency Relief (SER) program if you have trouble completing the application on the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) MI Bridges website (www.michigan.gov/MIBridges). Applicants must be at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level and demonstrate their need for assistance which could include a past due bill or shut off notice to qualify for SER and MEAP payment services (for example, a family of four must make $3,313 per month or less to qualify).
After the Michigan household has been approved for energy assistance through MDHHS, the SWP MEAP can help with co-pays and subsequent heating and electric bills. The SWP MEAP also offers affordable payment plans and energy security services including energy education, financial counseling, free home energy score assessments, home weatherization, and free solar panel installation for up to five qualified households. For more than a decade, the SWP MEAP team has helped thousands of Upper Peninsula residents pay their heat and electric bills and provided free services to improve home energy efficiency to lower future bills.
The SWP MEAP collaborates with participating St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) Societies of the Upper Peninsula, Native American communities of the Upper Peninsula, Michigan Community Action Agencies (MCAA), and other project partners to implement a step-by-step energy assistance program for low-income households across Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This collaborative, community approach helps struggling families in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan pay their energy bills, become more aware of home energy conservation, and receive the tools needed to gain the confidence and knowledge to budget for future energy costs.
The SWP Energy and Climate Office, located at 1104 N. 3rd Street in Marquette, is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., to assist residents with any energy related needs, including: MI Bridges account creation, SER application assistance, SWP MEAP requirements and assistance, energy education, financial counseling, and more. Upper Peninsula residents in need are encouraged to stop by the office or call at 906-273-2742.
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