Thousands of Iowans seek help with heating bills

Thousands of Iowans are seeking assistance to pay heat bills as natural gas prices soar, records obtained by Axios show.

Why it matters: Limited natural gas inventories and production, along with an increase in demand globally, are driving prices up, MidAmerican Energy stated.

• A shutoff moratorium runs until April but, after that, Iowa families unable to pay their bills could get cut off.

State of play: Nearly 62,000 Iowans applied to Iowa's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) between October 2020 and mid-January of 2021, according to state data requested by Axios.

• That's up by more than 25% from the same period the previous year.

By the numbers: The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has allocated around $133 million to LIHEAP for the federal fiscal year that ends Sept. 30.

• That's almost 145% more than the previous year due to pandemic-related assistance.

How to help: IMPACT helps metro residents apply for LIHEAP and other utility assistance programs.

• Meanwhile, donations to MidAmerican Energy's I CARE program are matched 25%.