Your LIHEAP

Your Energy Savings Account

Your LIHEAP for this year has been deposited into a savings account at Ascentra Credit Union in your name. It is not a prepaid card or a voucher. It is a real savings account and the money is yours to use to pay your MidAmerican energy bills. You decide how and when to use it.

On this page

  1. How it works
  2. Ways to use it
  3. How to check your balance

How it works

You can use your Energy Savings Account to pay part or all of your MidAmerican bill. You can split payments between your Energy Savings Account and your regular bank account. Here's how.

  • Your LIHEAP is already in your Energy Savings Account.
  • It does not expire month to month. Your balance only goes down when you use it.
  • You choose when and how much to pay towards MidAmerican.
  • Your Energy Savings Account can only be used to pay MidAmerican. You cannot withdraw cash, transfer money to another bank, or send money to anyone but MidAmerican

Your account is at Ascentra Credit Union, and your bills are at MidAmerican Energy. Paying your bill walks through it step by step.

Ways to use it

There's no one right way to use it. Three examples:

Denise Paid the same each month

“I divided it up — about $60 every month from my Energy Savings Account, all year and the rest from my bank account. It just became part of how I pay the power bill.”

Marcus Kept out-of-pocket under $100

“Whenever my bill went over $100, I covered the rest from the Energy Savings Account. That way I always knew what I owed myself, and I had something left in case of a bad month.”

Renee Saved it for an emergency

“I held onto it until May when something came up with my car. I was glad I still had it — it kept us from getting shut off.”

Each month, you choose how much of your MidAmerican bill comes from your Energy Savings Account and how much from your regular bank. The mix can change month to month, and your balance only goes down when you use it.

How to check your balance

Before you pay anything from the account, you need to be able to see what is in it. There are two ways. You only need one.

Online at Ascentra.org or on the Ascentra app

Shows every deposit and payment, not just the total. You also need this to find your account number before you can pay a bill.

Screenshot needed

Ascentra online banking, signed in, showing the Energy Savings Account row and its balance. Use a test member account, not a participant's.

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Redact: member number, full account number, any real name.

Your Energy Savings Account appears here. The number beside it is what you have left.

Look for the account named TO CONFIRM: exact ESA share name as it appears in online banking.

By text message

Works on any phone that sends texts.

  1. Turn on "Text Banking Enrollment" in Digital Banking under the "Settings" tab. It will then ask you for your phone number.
  2. Text BAL to SHORT CODE. Text from the phone number you gave us when you signed up. Standard message rates apply from your carrier.
  3. Your balance comes back in a few seconds. Text it as often as you like.
BAL You, 9:14 AM Energy Savings Account $421.00 available now Ascentra, 9:14 AM
Example only. TO CONFIRM: the actual keyword and short code, once Ascentra confirms text banking works on this account type.