U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius in late January announced the release of $490 million in contingency funding to help eligible low-income homeowners and renters meet home energy costs.

“During these tight economic times, states and communities across the country have seen increased demand on key services, such as energy assistance for low-income families,” said Sebelius. “And the record cold snap in places that traditionally don’t see weather as cold as it has been this year has put even more pressure on families in these states.”

These Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program contingency funds will provide states, territories, tribes and the District of Columbia with additional assistance to pay heating and electricity costs.

LIHEAP helps eligible families pay for home heating, cooling and other energy costs, as well as helping to weatherize eligible families’ homes.

The contingency funds released are in addition to basic LIHEAP funding states receive automatically. HHS released $2.6 billion in October and $1.2 billion earlier this month in regular block grant funds. The most recent release is from a $590 million LIHEAP contingency fund leaving $100 million available for unanticipated events in the contingency fund.

In total, Congress appropriated $5.1 billion for LIHEAP in Fiscal Year 2010.

Sebelius said the funds “will help more families afford heat and avert difficult choices too many Americans face between paying for heat and paying for other essentials like food and medicine.”