LIHEAP Heating, Cooling, and Crisis Repair Help

Last updated: October 16, 2026

Bottom line: The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) can help some low-income homes pay for heat, cooling, and fuel. It may also help with a loss of power or heat. Some local programs can fix or replace heating or cooling gear. Not all areas offer repair help.

A bill benefit does not mean you will get a new furnace or air conditioner.

This guide covers all three paths: regular energy bills, heating or cooling equipment, and crisis help. If your power is off or a shutoff is near, use our urgent LIHEAP crisis guide for the full fast-action steps. This page is for choosing the right type of help and planning the next steps.

You apply through the office that serves your home. The rules, dates, and funds vary by state, territory, tribe, and local provider. Start with the office, not a contractor or a paid grant site.

Choose the Right LIHEAP Help

Ask the office which of these services is open today. A regular heating award may be closed while a repair or crisis program is still taking requests. A program may also be funded but have a local waitlist.

What LIHEAP May Pay For

Heating bills and fuel

Heating help may go toward gas, electric heat, heating oil, propane, wood, pellets, or another fuel approved by the local program. An award may be sent to the utility or fuel seller. It often pays just part of the cost, not a full winter of heat.

The amount may depend on income, household size, fuel type, climate, and how much of your income goes to energy. The official heating benefit factors show why two homes may get different amounts. Do not use another state’s benefit as a quote for your own home.

Cooling bills and supplies

Cooling help may pay part of a summer electric bill. Some places offer a fan or air conditioner through a separate benefit or crisis service. Others do not run a regular cooling program. See the state cooling program table to see how much local plans can differ.

Do not buy a unit and expect the program to repay you. Ask if a unit, delivery, setup, wiring, or repair is covered. Some programs may ask for proof of a health need.

Others use income and heat-risk rules. Ask what the local plan needs.

Crisis bills, fuel, and shutoffs

Crisis aid is for an energy problem that meets local emergency rules. This might be a shutoff, a lack of fuel, or unsafe main heat. Some areas also cover a cooling crisis. It may lead to a vendor payment, fuel delivery, safe temporary heat, or another service.

Federal law calls for help that resolves an eligible energy crisis within 48 hours of applying, or 18 hours for a life-threatening crisis. These are rules for an eligible crisis, not a promise of a new unit in that time. The local office decides if the case meets its rules. Read the federal crisis law.

A LIHEAP application alone may not stop a shutoff. Call your utility or fuel seller too. Ask if it will accept an agency pledge or place a hold on the account. Get proof that it agreed.

Who May Qualify

LIHEAP is for households with limited income and home energy costs. You may be a renter or an owner. Some renters pay heat through rent, which may count under local rules. Shared meters and public housing can affect the result.

Income limits vary by state. Federal law allows a ceiling as high as 150% of federal poverty guidelines or 60% of state median income, whichever is greater. A program cannot reject a home based on income alone below 110% of poverty guidelines. Other tests still apply.

Check the official 2026 state income table, then ask your office for its current limits. Cooling, crisis, and repair rules may differ.

• Your home has a covered heating or cooling cost.
• Your household income fits the local program rule.
• You can show who lives at the home and who pays for energy.
• An older adult, young child, or person with a disability lives there. This may raise your priority.
• You get SNAP, SSI, TANF, or certain veterans benefits. Some offices may use that to help decide eligibility.
• The program you want may be closed, out of funds, or not offered where you live.

Do not guess that you make too much. Use the LIHEAP eligibility checker for a first look, then ask your own office. The tool is not an approval letter.

If you live in a tribal service area, ask about both tribal and state routes. Which office should take the claim depends on the tribe, location, and local rules. Do not send the same claim to two offices without telling them.

Find Your Office and Apply

Use the official LIHEAP office search to find the program for your state, territory, or tribe. You can also call the free National Energy Assistance Referral line at 1-866-674-6327. Staff hours listed on the site are weekdays, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern.

The referral line helps you find an office; it does not award the benefit.

Documents to gather

Common items are a photo ID, proof of address, recent income papers, a utility bill, and the names of people in your home. You may need a lease, fuel receipt, benefits letter, or shutoff notice. For repair, the office may also ask for ownership papers, landlord consent, photos, or a fault report.

Ask about the income period before you send old pay slips. Some offices want a recent month; others check another span. Our repair document checklist can help you sort extra papers if a separate repair service is involved.

Can LIHEAP Fix a Furnace or Air Conditioner?

Sometimes. Federal LIHEAP funds may be used for certain energy-related repairs. But local offices choose which services they run. A city may cover furnace work while the next one offers bill help only.

Cooling units may have a different set of rules.

A repair request may need a safety check, a home visit, a bid, or a contractor picked by the program. You may have to own the home. A renter may need landlord approval, or the landlord may have the duty to make the repair.

Before any work, ask who will pay for the callout, unit, labor, permit, code work, and any added cost. Ask whether you must use an approved contractor. Get written approval first. A contractor’s promise that a program will pay is not approval.

What real programs look like

Massachusetts: The state’s HEARTWAP heating repair program helps some low-income homes with unsafe or broken heat. It mainly serves homeowners. Local agencies choose repair firms. A household may have to pay part of the cost in some cases.

New York City: The 2026–27 Heating Equipment Repair and Replacement benefit opened October 1, 2026. Eligible owners may get help with primary heating gear. The posted caps are $4,000 for repair and $8,000 for replacement, based on actual cost. See the city heating equipment rules.

These are New York rules, not national limits.

These examples show why you must check the local program name, service area, income rules, homeownership test, cost cap, and application date. A regular LIHEAP bill award does not enroll you in a repair program.

If the home has no safe heat now, see our no-heat furnace help page. It deals with the safety and repair steps for that need.

How Weatherization Is Different

The U.S. Department of Energy runs the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) with state and local partners. It can make a home use less energy.

An audit may lead to air sealing, insulation, safety work, or work on heating and cooling systems. The work chosen depends on the audit.

WAP is a service, not cash for the home. Both owners and renters can apply, though a renter will need owner consent for work. Eligible homes may wait for an audit or crew. Read the DOE application steps and our state weatherization guide.

Ask if the LIHEAP office and the WAP office share an application. Some do; others do not. Weatherization is a good longer-term step, but it is not always fast enough for a home with no heat today.

Benefit Amounts, Funding, and Repayment

There is no one LIHEAP payment amount for the whole country. A normal award may go straight to the utility or fuel seller. Repair help may be paid to an approved firm.

These are usually benefits or services, not loans. A proper LIHEAP award does not have monthly loan payments.

An office may ask for an improper payment back if a claim used false or wrong facts. A utility payment plan is different: you still owe the balance under that plan. If a separate home repair program offers a loan or a lien, read its terms before signing.

For context, the federal FY 2026 LIHEAP funding record lists about $4.13 billion nationwide. That is an old fiscal-year total, not the amount still on hand in your county or a set award for 2026–27. Ask the local office what is funded and open now.

What Happens After You Apply?

The office reviews income, household size, energy costs, and the service you asked for. It may request more proof. A repair case may need a home check and a bid. Ask when you should follow up, and whether a missing item will hold the case.

If approved, check the benefit amount and what bill or repair it covers. A bill credit may not clear all past debt. A repair approval may not pay for every part. Call the vendor to check that the payment or work order reached them.

If denied, ask for a written notice and appeal steps. Federal LIHEAP rules provide for a fair hearing on denied claims or claims not handled with reasonable speed. Follow the deadline on your local notice. If funds are gone, ask if a new cycle or another open service applies.

If LIHEAP Cannot Cover the Need

Do not stop at one office. Your utility may have a hardship fund, a low-income rate, a payment plan, or a rule that helps a person with a medical need. Rules vary by utility and state. Read our utility company assistance guide to find more routes.

Call 211 or use 211 utility help to seek local fuel funds, food, safe shelter, and other aid. Older adults and carers can use the Eldercare Locator or call 1-800-677-1116 for local aging services.

A Community Action Agency may run LIHEAP and other help in the same area. If you need to sort out who to call, our home repair starting points guide covers 211, Community Action, and other local doors.

If the work is not tied to energy, such as a roof, foundation, major water leak, or full remodel, ask about a different city, county, nonprofit, or rural housing program. Our local repair program finder explains that search. Check whether any offer is a grant, service, or loan.

Avoid Fees and False Repair Promises

Your Next Three Steps

1. Today: Make the home safe. Find the LIHEAP office. Ask which heating, cooling, crisis, and equipment services are open.
2. Before you send forms: Get the right bill, income proof, and any notice or repair report. Ask if you need a special repair form.
3. After you apply: Save a case number. Confirm any vendor pledge or repair approval. If help falls short, try the utility, 211, or weatherization office.