Between moms concentrator and nebulizer running all of the time, my electric bill went from $80 to $260. She can't financially help us and we can't afford this. Is there help to pay for utilities?

Our state has a program for low income residents. It is pretty substantial savings. You have to apply every year...but it is worth it. Check your state's webpage for the "office on aging" for more information.

While I don't know of a program, I do know that they make some energy efficient concentrators. This may be the first step towards surviving high energy bills. You can call your concentrator supplier and request an energy efficient version, and if they don't have one you can always call other suppliers in your area and switch if someone else has what you need. An example of a more energy efficient concentrator is the Invacare PerfectO2 Oxygen Concentrator with SensO2 IRC5PO2. While there are other options and this is not the only one I think that could help. Many DME companies seem to have heafty outdated concentrators that eat a lot of electricity. You can also do things to decrease the bill as far as getting energy efficient light bulbs, and only buying energy efficient equipment.

You can also use the eldercare locator (http://www.eldercare.gov) to find financial assistance that is available based on your location. This may or may not be helpful but still worth looking into.

Good luck lvnnlee.

Sincerely,
Nicole Bernd