For those interested in the intersection of saving energy and saving money, here's our Editorial from today's Daily News: 

NOW IS THE winter of our disconnect.

The number of people with shut-off utilities over the winter is always a concern, but this week's frigid temperatures bring even graver concerns about the people who can't afford to keep themselves warm. And those numbers are higher than ever. Last month, the Public Utility Commission reported that 17,000 households in the state were without heat; more than half of those were in Philadelphia.

That's why Gov. Rendell's news conference yesterday announcing the expansion of the home- heating program for low-income families is, on the face of it, welcome news.

The governor announced that the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which gives cash and emergency grants to people struggling with their heating bills, will increase cash grant amounts by $100 and extend the program through April 2.

He said these changes were possible because of "smart policy decisions" and "more efficient management of the program."

Which suggests that the greatest disconnect we have to worry about is not in utility shutoffs, but the government's relationship with reality.

The fact is, LIHEAP is federally funded and only administered by the state's Department of Public Welfare. In the past year, the state has shrunk the program and the number of people who can get help by shortening the time the money is available, by changing the income eligibility so fewer qualify, by reducing the amount of cash grants people can get and by limiting the number of grants that people can get.

In the past, the program ran from October to April. It gave crisis grants of up to $800 to help people with emergencies, and minimum cash grants of $300 for heating costs.

Last year, the state closed the program earlier. It cut the crisis allocation in half, to $400 per person and the grant minimum to $100.

This has had serious impact on how many have gotten help. For example, as of Dec. 31, 2008, 44,409 grants had been given, for a total of $15 million. As of Dec. 31, 2009, the total number of grants had dropped to 27,000, and the total was less than half: $7 million. The average grant has gone from $347 to $258.

The state also reduced the access to grants; in 2008, neighborhood intake sites were scattered around the city; now a single site handles requests. To call this "efficient management" is disingenuous. It's like starving someone for a year, then claiming you're doubling his food when you give him a slice of bread.

Another disconnect is that the state only administers the program; it gets the money from the feds and kicks in no money of its own (though it's one of the few cold-weather states that doesn't). And although the feds slightly reduced allocations last year, the Senate has just authorized an additional $5 billion in contingency funding. The state should be intent on spending this addition to reach as many as possible. The tragic disconnect that the state must understand is how these cuts affect everyone. For example, PGW's low-income program, which gives poor customers reduced rates, is bankrolled by all customers through higher utility rates. Ratepayers kicked in $100 million for this program last year, far more than PGW's $35 million LIHEAP allocation. The less help low-income customers get, the higher the price we all pay. *