Operation Fuel Aims To Help Connecticut Homeowners Struggling With Home Heating Bills

HARTFORD, CONN. (CBSNewYork) -- Although home heating fuel prices are dropping, the number of households in Connecticut unable to pay for fuel is on the rise.

As WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported, there's an organization that proposes a way to help close the gap.

Even though fuel prices are much lower than last year, there are still more than 300,000 households in Connecticut which can't pay winter heating bills.

Roger Colton, who heads non-profit energy assistance program Operation Fuel, said the idea is to get utility companies in the state to provide discounts to those who are struggling.

The result, Colton said, is a win-win for everyone.

"The way I explain it to people is that it is better to collect 90 percent of a $70 bill than it is to collect 60 percent of a $100 bill," he said.

Colton added that once utility companies realize this is a sound policy, they do adopt the idea of a discount program, Schneidau reported.