The standard utility allowance includes charges to the household for heating or cooling, cooking fuel, electricity, water, garbage collection, sewer, and telephone. Households do not have to incur either a heating or a cooling expense in every month. Only those households that are billed separately from their rent or mortgage payments for heating or cooling and those households that receive low income energy assistance may deduct the standard utility allowance when computing the shelter expense.

Heating costs are those costs incurred from a primary source of heat, such as propane, oil, and electricity.

Cooling costs are limited to either the utility costs required to operate an evaporative cooling system or the electricity required to operate a window air conditioner or a central air conditioning unit.

Source: 6 SDR 49, effective November 18, 1979; 7 SDR 53, effective December 11, 1980; transferred from § 67:12:10:02, 7 SDR 66, 7 SDR 89, effective July 1, 1981; 8 SDR 79, effective January 7, 1982; 9 SDR 72, effective December 14, 1982; 9 SDR 138, effective May 8, 1983; 10 SDR 11, effective August 15, 1983; 10 SDR 94, effective March 8, 1984; 11 SDR 129, effective March 31, 1985; 12 SDR 102, effective December 26, 1985; 14 SDR 87, effective December 27, 1987; 16 SDR 114, effective January 15, 1990; 17 SDR 127, effective March 3, 1991; 20 SDR 104, effective January 10, 1994; 23 SDR 122, effective February 6, 1997; 25 SDR 115, effective March 24, 1999; 27 SDR 111, effective April 19, 2001; 28 SDR 84, effective December 20, 2001; 30 SDR 116, effective February 4, 2004; 31 SDR 107, effective February 1, 2005; 32 SDR 129, effective February 1, 2006; 34 SDR 180, effective December 26, 2007; 35 SDR 184, effective February 4, 2009; 39 SDR 220, effective June 27, 2013.

General Authority: SDCL 28-12-1.

Law Implemented: SDCL 28-12-1 ; 78 Stat. 703 (1964) as amended; 91 Stat. 958 (1977) as amended; 7 U.S.C. §§ 2011-2027, inclusive; 43 Fed. Reg. 47,906 (October 17, 1978).