Maryland assistance and help

The need for utility bill help in Maryland doubles. The number of families and people visiting the states and county's energy assistance offices that are looking for help with paying their utility, electric and heating bills nearly doubled last month.

About 2,000 people came into the Office of Home Energy Programs and they are all looking for help in February compared with 1,097 visitors in February 2008, according to statistics provided by that office. In addition to that, about 200 phone calls for utility bill assistance are coming into the office daily.

As of early March 2009, 8,921 households had applied for help with paying utility bills, which is 1,075 households, or almost 14 percent, more than a year ago on the same date. And the number of requests and applications for emergency energy bill assistance had risen almost 20 percent — from 3,300 to 3,900.

Several gas and utility companies said as many as one in three residential customers is late paying their bill. Some other studies indicate that about 20 percent of its residential customers in Washington, D.C., and Maryland are late paying their energy bills.