Kansas SRS announces Low Income Energy Assistance Program to help pay for summer cooling bills

? A program that helps low-income Kansans heat their homes in winter will also help them beat the heat this summer.

The Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services says funding is available this year to help residents in the Low Income Energy Assistance Program pay for summer cooling.

The agency says Kansans who received assistance this past winter will get a supplemental benefit of $296 for summer bills, for an average total of $550 for the year.

During the winter of 2011, nearly 62,000 households received an average benefit of $263.

Funding for the Low Income Energy Assistance Program comes from the federal government. It generally helps the elderly, people with disabilities and families with children who meet income guidelines.