Seminole seniors can get help paying summer utility bills

When summer heat pushes Seminole County toward triple digits, older adults on fixed incomes may not have to choose between air conditioning and other essentials. Senior Resource Alliance says eligible households can get emergency help with energy bills through the Emergency Home Energy Assistance for the Elderly Program, and the agency says it is distributing up to $2,000 in assistance through that effort.

Senior Resource Alliance serves seniors in Seminole, Orange, Osceola and Brevard counties, and says the program is open to Central Florida households with at least one resident age 60 or older. The nonprofit says EHEAP is 100% federally funded and can help eligible seniors pay a home energy bill in a crisis. One agency page puts the benefit at up to $600 per assistance payment, with one benefit allowed per season per household.

The money can be used for disconnection and late fees, pre-paying energy bills and buying cooling fans, which makes the program especially relevant as temperatures rise and cooling costs climb. To apply, residents need proof of residence, which Senior Resource Alliance says can include a driver’s license or a utility bill. Households that include someone receiving TANF, SSI or SNAP benefits must also provide benefit documentation and total household income information.

Karla Radka, the organization’s president and chief executive officer, has led Senior Resource Alliance since 2019 and says summer can become dangerous quickly for older adults, who are more vulnerable to heat-related medical problems. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says older adults are among the groups most vulnerable to heat, and that heat-related deaths rise during and after heat waves. The CDC also identifies heat stroke, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and cerebrovascular disease as heat-related risks.

FloridaCommerce says LIHEAP is the federally funded home energy assistance program that helps income-qualified households with heating and cooling costs through local providers across Florida. Senior Resource Alliance says it distributed more than $420,000 through EHEAP from July 2024 through June 2025, a sign the program is already being tapped at significant scale as Central Florida heads deeper into another hot season.