A local group has received $10,000 from Ameren Missouri to help Mid-Missouri residents keep air conditioning systems running in the dog days of summer.
With temperatures soaring past 90 degrees and heat indices making it feel hotter than 100 degrees, Ameren representatives said they wanted to make sure its customers all had access to air conditioning this week. Meanwhile, a local air conditioning repair business said business is brisk but also normal for this time of year.
Ameren Missouri pledged $50,000 Wednesday to nonprofit Cool Down St. Louis for customers seeking assistance paying electric bills as temperatures rise. Cool Down St. Louis then allocated the money to groups statewide, including a $10,000 donation to a Mid-Missouri group.
Central Missouri Community Action fights area poverty by providing housing, energy, work and other assistance programs in Cole, Callaway, Boone, Audrain, Cooper, Howard, Osage and Moniteau counties. Ameren Missouri spokesman Jeff Trammel said the program is just one way the utility tries to help customers keep their power on during extreme weather.
"We recognize it's an issue of customer safety," Trammel said.
Central Missouri Community Action disburses money received from state and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that oversee and fund the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program. The organization then distributes money to qualifying individuals. It has helped nearly 7,000 families restore cooling and heating services through the program.
Under 2017 federal guidelines, those considered impoverished are individuals making $12,060, families of two making $16,240, families of three making $20,420, families of four making $24,600 and families of five making $28,780. Poverty levels rise gradually for families of six, seven and eight members. To be eligible for assistance under the assistance program, applicants must make an amount equal to or less than 135 percent of the federal poverty level.
Two programs comprise the Low-Income Energy Assistance Program. The first, the Energy Crisis Intervention Program, provides qualifying households with up to $300 in the summer and $800 in the winter to pay for cooling or heating costs. The summer assistance season starts in June and ends in September. The winter season starts in December and ends in May.
Under this program, qualifying residents must have a disconnection notice or have their power or heat shut off. Central Missouri Community Action bases its awards on the amount required to solve the problem and keep the family from being shut off again for 30 days. Families may get help as many times as they need, as long as they have not reached their maximum benefit level for a season.
The second program, the Energy Assistance program, is a winter-only program basing aid on income and fuel type used by a household. It gives families a one-time payment to help cover energy costs. Under the Energy Assistance program, it is not necessary to be in a crisis though to receive aid.
Ameren Missouri customers needing assistance can also seek help from the company's Dollar More program. Ameren Supervisor Connie Taylor said the company works with local United Way chapters to disburse funds through this program. The Dollar More program relies completely on donations from customers and community members.
Taylor also said Ameren Missouri periodically makes donations like the one it made Wednesday to Cool Down St. Louis.
"We really work with the community partners and just see what the need is based on what the need is at that time," Taylor said.
Wednesday's temperatures in Jefferson City soared into the upper 90s, and the city had a heat index of 101 degrees. The National Weather Service expects a high of 98 degrees today with a heat index of 110. The agency said the hot weather will continue through Sunday.
With temperatures soaring, Rob Sachse, owner of Aire Serv Heating & Cooling, said his six repair technicians know they will work long hours this time of year. One technician is even on call 24/7.
It's the Jefferson City firm's busiest time of year, but Sachse also said the amount of repairs performed this year has been normal. Most calls come during the evening when people get home from work and realize their air conditioning isn't working, he said.
"This is the time of year that most A/Cs break down," Sachse said. "This is just a normal part of the summer for our company."
Though his company also services heaters, Sachse said in the winter people simply put on layers to stay warm and sometimes scrape by with just space heaters after heating systems break.
Excessive heat makes people more ornery.
"People are used to air conditioning this time of year," Sachse said. "This is not like the 1950s and 1960s where you waited and found a nice shade tree."