Page 13
12
PY26 WHEAP Manual
Revised: August 2025 actual or imminent losses of home heating/electricity. Emergency payments for cooling assistance are provided during the summer months only in cases of extreme heat and with a declaration of a heat emergency.
Agencies may not implement cooling assistance unless a state or local public health official declares a heat emergency and authorization is given from DEHCR. See Chapter 4.
energy burden The responsibility for providing home energy including home heating and home electricity. For example, a household may purchase fuel from a fuel supplier, make undesignated payments in the form of rent, or may heat with wood, etc.
energy education The process whereby individuals and households learn to make choices to use energy efficiently, improve their indoor comfort, and become aware of how their behavior affects energy consumption, energy cost, and urgent safety concern(s) within their homes.
energy services company (ESCO) Third-party company that manages the energy consumption of multi-unit residential communities, including measuring usage and invoicing the tenants directly.
FFY Acronym for Federal Fiscal Year.
fixed-income household A household that receives only one or more of the following income types: SS including SSDI, SSI, dividends/interest, pension, and/or Veterans benefits.
FO Acronym for fuel oil.
FS Acronym for FoodShare (SNAP).
fuel supplier A fuel supplier is an individual, partnership, or corporation in the business of supplying energy to customers. Landlords, trailer park owners, and other persons who purchase home energy from a fuel supplier to provide tenants or homeowners with home energy are not considered fuel suppliers.
government-assisted housing Housing where tenants pay less than the full costs for their residence because the federal, state, or local government pays a portion of their rent. These housing units limit the tenant rent responsibility to no more than 30% of their income and is usually subsidized by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Government-assisted housing includes Section 8, rental assistance, subsidized housing, and most other programs to make housing more affordable to