Help paying energy bills: LIHEAP and weatherization
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, helps households with low incomes pay to heat and cool their homes. The money comes from the federal government, but you apply through your state, tribe or territory, usually at a local office. There is no fee to get LIHEAP help.
Who runs it
LIHEAP is run by the Office of Community Services, part of the Administration for Children and Families in the US Department of Health and Human Services. The federal government does not pay your bill directly and does not take applications. It gives money to states, territories and tribes. Each of them sets its own rules and runs its own program, often through local offices or agencies. Find yours on the energy assistance page or in the table below.
What LIHEAP can help with
LIHEAP is designed differently in every state. Depending on where you live, it may offer:
- Help paying your heating or cooling bills
- Emergency help in an energy crisis, such as a utility shutoff
- Weatherization, which means low-cost home improvements that use less energy
- Repair or replacement of a broken furnace or air conditioner, in some states
LIHEAP is not meant to pay your whole bill. In many places it helps only with your main heating source. It generally cannot pay water and sewer bills.
LIHEAP this year
On October 9, 2026, HHS announced it had released $3.6 billion in LIHEAP money for federal fiscal year 2027. That money comes from a short-term spending law, called a continuing resolution, signed on September 2, 2026. It is 90 percent of the money that law makes available. States still open their own application seasons. Pennsylvania's 2026 to 2027 season is scheduled to open on November 2, 2026.
Money is limited. Qualifying does not guarantee help. An HHS help page says about 20 percent of qualified households get benefits. When a program runs out of money for the year, it cannot give more help until Congress provides more.
1. Find your local LIHEAP office
Each state has its own rules about when you can apply, how you apply and who qualifies. Your local LIHEAP office is the best place to ask. If you cannot reach it, the state's main LIHEAP office oversees the local offices. HHS also lists the National Energy Assistance Referral line, 1-866-674-6327, and the site energyhelp.us for help finding where to apply.
2. Check whether you may qualify
Eligibility is based on income, and every state and territory sets its own income limits. Some also have other rules. States may treat you as qualified if you already get SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), Supplemental Security Income or certain veterans benefits. Not all do, and you may still have to fill out an application.
Renters can get LIHEAP, whether they pay for energy directly or through rent. If you live in subsidized or public housing, it depends on where you live and how you pay for utilities. Help is aimed at households that spend a large share of their income on energy, and at homes with an older adult, a person with a disability or a young child.
3. Apply
Each state has its own application form. In some places you can apply online. Other offices may require you to apply in person. Ask your local office which papers to bring.
4. If you get a shutoff notice or lose heat
Ask your LIHEAP office about crisis help. Sometimes a crisis program opens after the regular heating or cooling program has closed. Pennsylvania, for example, counts a notice that your service will be shut off within the next 60 days as an emergency. So are broken heating equipment and running out of fuel.
Call your utility too. Rules on when a utility can shut off electricity or gas for unpaid bills differ by state. They can depend on the weather, your age, a disability or your utility company. In Wisconsin, utilities must offer a payment plan, called a deferred payment agreement, to home customers who cannot pay a past-due bill in full. Complaints about a utility company go to your state's public utility commission, not to LIHEAP.
The Weatherization Assistance Program
The US Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program lowers energy costs by making homes more energy efficient. It is run at the state and local level. To apply, find your state weatherization office. Most states then send you to a local provider. Income is a main factor in who qualifies. You may also qualify if you get a benefit such as TANF or Supplemental Security Income. Both homeowners and renters can apply. Renters need the landlord's permission before work can start.
The local provider asks for proof of income for the prior year, such as pay stubs or Social Security payments. If you qualify, your name goes on a waitlist. When your turn comes, an energy auditor inspects your home and recommends work. After the work is done, an inspector checks it.
If you are turned down
You have the right to appeal a decision made by your local LIHEAP office. The denial notice usually explains how. If it does not, contact the state, territory or tribe's main LIHEAP office.
Watch out for scams
LIHEAP does not give grants directly to individuals and does not charge a fee to receive a benefit. If someone offers you a LIHEAP grant or asks for a fee, HHS asks you to report it to the HHS fraud hotline at 1-800-447-8477.
Where it works differently
- State welfare offices. In Pennsylvania, the Department of Human Services runs LIHEAP through county assistance offices. The cash grant is a one-time payment sent straight to your utility or fuel company.
- Local service providers. In California, local service providers run LIHEAP. The Department of Community Services and Development lists the provider for each city or county.
- Different program names. Wisconsin calls it the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program, run by the Department of Administration, and takes applications online at energybenefit.wi.gov. Ohio calls it HEAP, the Home Energy Assistance Program. It is now run by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, and you apply through a local energy assistance provider.
- Winter shutoff rules. Wisconsin bars utilities from cutting off home heating service for unpaid bills from November 1 to April 15.
State by state
The official statewide page for each state and territory. For a local office near you, search your county or city above.
Sources
- HHS Administration for Children and Families: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
- HHS Administration for Children and Families: LIHEAP FAQs for consumers
- HHS Administration for Children and Families: First Block Grant Funding Release FFY 2027
- USAGov: Get help with energy bills
- US Department of Energy: Weatherization Assistance Program
- US Department of Energy: How to apply for weatherization assistance
- Pennsylvania Department of Human Services: Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program
- California Department of Community Services and Development: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
- Public Service Commission of Wisconsin: PSC urges customers to seek assistance before moratorium on utility disconnections ends
- Ohio Department of Development: Home Energy Assistance Program notice
- Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Energy and Community Assistance
Checked against the sources above on Oct 16, 2026. GovDir is a guide, not legal advice. The agency that handles your case has the final say.