January 22, 2012|Clarke Canfield, Associated Press When oil prices skyrocketed to more than $4 a gallon four years ago, Dan Stevens got rid of his oil-burning furnace, oil tank and heating baseboards and began using wood to heat his home. He wasn’t the only one. The number of households using wood as their primary heating [...]

BY BRIAN J. LOWNEY, 1/12/12 PROVIDENCE – When Kathleen’s husband was hospitalized last week with tremors, she knew that he could not return to a cold house. After being rushed to the hospital twice on the same day, several medical tests determined that the 53 year-old dialysis patient needed to have his medication adjusted, and [...]

Young people raise awareness of homeless problem, $1,500 for heating assistance BY RICK SNIZEK, Editor, 1/12/12 CRANSTON — Despite cold temperatures, the thought that others could be spending the entire winter season huddled in the same type of cardboard boxes that they were using for shelter helped Gislen Frias and her peers get through a [...]

BY BRIAN J. LOWNEY, Assistant Editor, 1/5/11 CHEPACHET – When Gary Wheaton was diagnosed with a re occurrence of lung cancer a few weeks before Christmas, one of his immediate concerns was keeping warm during the winter while he receives a grueling regimen of radiation. Wheaton, a former engineering inspector who worships at St. Philip [...]

January 4, 2012 By Alisha A. Pina PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The state Office of Energy Resources is extending its contract with the cash-strapped Providence Community Action Program, its receiver told Superior Court Judge Michael Silverstein this morning. READ MORE

BY ANDREW MIGA,  The Associated Press WASHINGTON – Congress is poised to reduce federal home heating aid by about 25 percent this winter, a move that could impact thousands of poor and elderly people in New England. The $1 trillion-plus year-end spending package lawmakers approved Friday included $3.5 billion for the Low Income Home Energy [...]

12/15/11 PROVIDENCE—The Gregorian Choir and Festival Orchestra benefit concert for ‘Keep the Heat On’ will air on Rhode Island Catholic Hour on Tuesday, December 20 at 9:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., on Cox channel 14, Verizon channel 33 and Full Channel 14. To watch the concert or read more, please click here

BY BRIAN J. LOWNEY, Assistant Editor, 12/15/11 JOHNSTON – When Anna saw that the propane tank outside her small home was almost empty last week, she began to cry. Fearful that her 52 year-old son, who is recovering from two major heart attacks, would catch a cold, Anna called a local community action program but [...]

By ANDREW MIGA, The Associated Press Posted Dec. 11, 2011, at 9:40 a.m. WASHINGTON — Mary Power is 92 and worried about surviving another frigid New England winter because deep cuts in federal home heating assistance benefits mean she probably can’t afford enough heating oil to stay warm. She lives in a drafty trailer in [...]