A series of nor’easters have left tens of thousands of Connecticut households temporarily without heat and electricity this winter and, now, early spring. Eventually everyone has had their power restored and things have gone back to normal.

But living in fear of losing heat and electricity is a constant reality for 320,000 low-income households statewide that must deal with unaffordable energy bills year-round. Connecticut is among the states with the highest energy rates.

Some Connecticut households pay between 20 percent and 50 percent of their income on home energy bills. Nonprofit organization Operation Fuel tries to help as many of these struggling families and individuals as possible with a one-time energy assistance grant. For families in crisis, energy assistance can mean the difference between having heat, electricity and hot water or losing these basic necessities.

Operation Fuel believes the best solution to the energy affordability crisis is a holistic approach that, along with energy assistance, includes making homes more energy efficient and adopting a discounted utility rate. But reaching this goal is still a long way off. For many low- and moderate-income households, the need is immediate and the quickest solution is energy assistance.

Operation Fuel’s "Add-a-Dollar" program is one of the easiest ways to help Connecticut families and individuals who are struggling with unaffordable energy bills. Utility customers can contribute to Operation Fuel simply by adding a dollar when they pay their monthly utility bill by check or online; and 100 percent of the money collected is used to provide energy assistance for Connecticut households.

Our recent snowstorms and power outages are yet another reminder of how important having heat, electricity and hot water are in order to feel safe in your own home.

Brenda Watson is executive director of Operation Fuel, a statewide nonprofit organization that provides emergency energy assistance year-round. She lives in Bloomfield.