OKANOGAN - Additional benefits are available for individuals needing assistance in paying electric bills and heating fuel bill for a primary heat source.
     “We pay for pellets, wood, propane, oil and electric heat for community members,” Okanogan County Community Action Executive Director Lael Duncan said.
     So far this year, more than 1,000 people have received benefits of as much as $1,000, she said. The average benefit is $450.
     Extra help is available this year as a result of the first stimulus bill to repair or replace existing heat sources for homeowners.
     That has meant new wood stoves installed for senior citizens and families, furnaces that are now running efficiently and old furnaces replaced with high efficiency furnaces, Duncan said.
     Application information is available from Community Action, 422-4041 or 877-641-0101.