COLUMBUS, Ohio — Dayton Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley called on Gov. Mike DeWine to take actions to lower the cost of Ohioans’ utility bills this winter.

Whaley stood outside the governor's office and said the governor can do four things to address the issue.

Whaley said she would like to see a moratorium on utility shut offs through the end of April and a hotline established to help families going through any emergencies.

She also said DeWine should push the Ohio Department of Development to expand weatherization and energy assistance programs using funding from the American Rescue Plan, and issue an executive order outlawing price gouging from corporations when it comes to utilities.

“Seven out of 10 of our citizens get their electric, utilities and their heat from natural gas and they're going to have a 45% increase [in spending],” Whaley said. “This is where we're going to see the challenge around energy costs and this is going to affect communities and people all across the state.”

The U.S. Energy Information Administration said between limited energy supply and colder weather, it expects Americans will spend more money on heating costs this winter and consume more energy to keep their homes warm compared to last year.

A federal program does exist to assist Ohioans with their utility bills. The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded program that provides eligible Ohioans assistance with their home energy bills. This one-time benefit is applied directly to the customer's utility bill or bulk fuel bill.