Ameren Missouri puts up $250,000 in new energy assistance funds ahead of winter

Through its newly launched Clean Slate program, Ameren Missouri is offering $250,000 in energy assistance funds for its natural gas customers, as a way to keep heat flowing to lower-income customers during the coldest months of the year.

For customers, the program allows for household incomes up to 300 percent of the federal poverty level. If experiencing financial hardship, but still maintaining an active Ameren Missouri natural gas account — albeit one past due or in need of reconnection — they can pay 10 percent of the past-due balance and have the rest paid up from Clean Slate’s coffers. This would allow customers to start with a clean slate and heat to continue to flow.

“We’re here to help because we know many people are facing challenging times,” Tara Oglesby, vice president of customer experience for Ameren Missouri, said. “All of us at Ameren Missouri want customers to be safe this winter. Programs such as Clean Slate have already helped thousands of customers pay off outstanding energy bills and get back on track.”

The program expanded this year to include more customers, including some missed by other state or federal assistance programs.

Ameren Missouri, which oversees 135,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri, also pointed to other assistance programs that could help alongside Clean Slate, including: Keeping Current, a monthly bill credit payment assistance program for energy bills; the federally-funded LIHEAP program, which grants energy bill assistance to customers with incomes at or below 60 percent of the state median income level; and the weatherization program for income-eligible homeowners and renters alike, which offers energy-efficient improvements to cut down on costs in other ways.