At the first sight of snow, Joan Toler heads for the closet. Living without electricity, the 50-year-old retired nurse has to pull on some pantyhose, boots and four sweaters to keep warm. Five blankets help, too.
Toler, who drives a taxicab, can't pay the $2,800 that Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. says she owes and she disputes. Her service was cut off Nov. 2.
"It's just crazy," said Toler, who says she brings home about $1,200 a month. "I'm freezing."
As temperatures drop and fuel bills rise this winter, state agencies and utilities are aggressively seeking families and residents such as Toler who need help paying utility bills. Officials are looking to avoid a repeat of two years ago when natural gas prices soared as temperatures fell, causing utility bills to double and triple. Thousands lost service in the spring for nonpayment of their winter bills.
Today, the city will hold its first Energy Expo at New Shiloh Baptist Church in the 2100 block of N. Monroe St. in an effort to reach hundreds of new applicants for energy assistance. Similar expos held in Prince George's and Montgomery counties last year took in about 400 applicants each, a majority of whom were newcomers.
In addition, the federal Department of Energy has been promoting its weatherization program, which helps low-income families caulk windows, insulate attics and replace old furnaces and water heaters with energy-efficient equipment.
And state agencies such as the Office of People's Counsel (OPC) and Office of Home Energy Programs have been hitting the streets with fliers, individual home visits, community seminars and bus advertisements to get the word out that assistance is available.
"Our number of applicants went down because the weather was warmer last year," said Ralph Markus, acting director of the Office of Home Energy Programs for the state. "But it is colder now. We've already had a major snow. I know there are predictions that we'll have a more severe winter this year. We've also got a bad economy, many have been laid off. And you never know what will happen with fuel prices.
"It took people a long time to recover from large winter bills in 2001," Markus said. "We're definitely trying to be more pro-active this year. There's no question about it. We want to reach the people who need help before they have an emergency situation."
