Eligible households in all 15 member communities of the Norton Sound Economic Development Corp. have until March 19 to sign up for a $575 electric utility energy subsidy being offered by the corporation.
These community benefits are an integral part of NSEDC’s effort to help sustain the region’s fisheries economy for the more than 8,700 people living in the Bering Straits region of Northwest Alaska.
Energy subsidies were issued at the $500 level by the NSEDC board in 2008, 2012 and 2014. In 2015-2020, the board issued the energy subsidy at $575 per household, paying out $1.5 million to local electric utilities on behalf of residents each of those years. As in past years, those living off the electric power grid will be given the opportunity to receive a $575 heating fuel credit to a fuel vendor in their community. Subsidies over the past nine years have saved NSEDC households more than $14.8 million.
Those seeking the subsidy must sign up directly with NSEDC and should see their savings in their monthly electric bills by mid-April. To sign up safely during the pandemic, residents can complete an online application at www.nsedc.com.
