LIHEAP Heating, Cooling, and Crisis Repair Help

Last updated: July 28, 2026

Bottom line: The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, usually called LIHEAP, may help with heating or cooling bills, shutoff prevention, fuel delivery, reconnection, and some energy-related equipment repairs. It is not a general home repair grant. Benefits, income limits, opening dates, covered repairs, and payment amounts are set by each state, territory, tribe, or local agency.

Start with the office that serves your address. If you have a shutoff notice, no fuel, no working heat, or unsafe indoor heat, call the utility or fuel company and the LIHEAP office on the same day. Applying does not automatically stop a shutoff.

LIHEAP household benefits are generally public assistance or a repair service, not a loan. Approved money usually goes to a utility, fuel vendor, or approved contractor instead of being handed to the household. Ordinary approved benefits do not have a monthly repayment plan, but the local agency may recover an improper payment caused by fraud or incorrect information.

Match Your Problem to the Right Request

What LIHEAP Is—and Is Not

LIHEAP is a federally funded program run by states, territories, tribes, and local agencies. The federal LIHEAP program page lists home energy bills, energy crises, weatherization, and minor energy-related home repairs as allowed uses. It also says LIHEAP can support heating equipment repair or replacement.

Congress funded LIHEAP for federal fiscal year 2026. The official FY 2026 funding page reports $4,130,596,037 after the first and final releases. Local offices can still close a component, start a waitlist, or run out of funds. There is no single national household application deadline.

Local agencies decide which components to operate. One place may offer bill assistance but no furnace repair. Another may have equipment help or weatherization. Opening dates can differ by component.

LIHEAP normally does not pay for a roof, foundation, sewer, septic system, major plumbing, mold cleanup, remodeling, or a whole-house rehabilitation unless a narrow energy-related repair is part of an approved local service. For a wider search, use the site’s guide to finding local repair programs.

Who May Qualify

There is no single national household income limit. Federal law lets a LIHEAP grant recipient set its income ceiling as high as the greater of 150% of the federal poverty guideline or 60% of state median income. It generally may not exclude a household only because of income when income is below 110% of the federal poverty guideline. The local program can also use additional rules and priorities.

The official FY 2026 income table shows that states use different percentages for heating, cooling, crisis, and weatherization. Some use federal poverty guidelines. Others use state median income. A few change the rule by component or household size.

For reference only, 150% of the FY 2026 federal poverty guideline in the 48 contiguous states and Washington, D.C., is $23,475 for one person, $31,725 for two, $39,975 for three, and $48,225 for four. Alaska and Hawaii are higher. These are not nationwide LIHEAP cutoffs.

• You pay a residential heating or cooling cost directly or through undesignated rent.
• Your household income fits the local rule.
• You have a high energy burden, shutoff risk, low fuel, unsafe equipment, or another locally defined crisis.
• A household member is older, disabled, medically vulnerable, or a young child. These factors can affect priority.
• Someone receives SNAP, Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or certain means-tested veterans benefits. Some programs use categorical eligibility, but not all do.
• You may not qualify for a particular component if it is closed, out of funds, not offered locally, or the bill is not a covered home energy cost.

Renters may qualify. The LIHEAP definition of household can include people who make undesignated energy payments through rent. Public housing, subsidized housing, utilities included in rent, master-metered buildings, and shared bills can change the calculation. Ask the intake worker how your housing arrangement is treated.

How to Find Your Office and Apply

The federal government does not accept household LIHEAP applications. Use the official LIHEAP office finder to search by state, territory, or tribe. You can also call the National Energy Assistance Referral service at 1-866-674-6327. The current federal search page lists staffed hours as weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

American Indian and Alaska Native households should also check the official tribal LIHEAP search. Whether a household applies through a tribe, the state system, or another local provider depends on local agreements and service areas.

A general repair application often has different steps from LIHEAP. The site’s repair application guide explains ownership papers, estimates, inspections, and other documents that may matter when LIHEAP refers you to a separate repair program.

Heating and Cooling Equipment Help

Federal rules allow low-cost energy-related repair, and federal guidance confirms that a grant recipient may provide heating or air-conditioning unit purchase, repair, or replacement. Local participation is optional. That is why a broken furnace does not automatically mean LIHEAP will buy a new one.

Possible services include inspection, emergency repair, heating system replacement, an air conditioner or fan, thermostat work, or weatherization. The agency may limit equipment type, price, fuel, or contractor.

Ask these questions before ordering work:

• Is repair or replacement offered in my service area?
• Must I own the home, or can a renter qualify with landlord permission?
• Does the agency inspect the system and choose the contractor?
• What is the cost cap, and who pays any amount above it?
• Will pre-approval work or related code work be excluded?

Some states use separate programs. New York’s 2025–2026 HEAP page listed heating repair and replacement help with prior authorization. Massachusetts runs HEARTWAP heating repair through local agencies. Ask for the exact local equipment program; a regular bill benefit does not automatically cover a furnace.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Weatherization Assistance Program is another path. The DOE application guide says eligible homeowners and renters apply through state and local providers. An energy audit decides which measures are cost-effective. Work may include air sealing, insulation, duct work, safety testing, and heating or cooling system repair or replacement. The site’s guide to common weatherization work explains what an audit may approve.

LIHEAP Crisis Help and Response Times

A crisis can include a shutoff notice, disconnected service, no fuel, dangerously low fuel, failed main heat, unsafe equipment, or another condition defined in the local LIHEAP plan. Cooling crises are not operated the same way everywhere. Some programs require a medical statement, an older or disabled household member, a heat emergency, or a specific indoor or outdoor condition.

The federal LIHEAP statute says an eligible crisis household must receive some form of assistance that resolves the crisis within 48 hours after applying, or within 18 hours for an eligible life-threatening situation. A disaster waiver can change those timelines.

Those limits do not promise a completed furnace replacement. The response may be a utility pledge, fuel delivery, temporary safe heat, cooling, repair authorization, or shelter referral. Local programs may require a complete, verified application before the clock starts.

For a detailed crisis checklist, see the separate LIHEAP crisis guide. A household with no working heat can also use the site’s no-heat repair guide.

Documents to Gather

Requirements vary, but gathering common proof before the appointment can prevent delay. Use copies unless the office asks to see originals.

• Photo identification for the applicant.
• Social Security numbers or other identity documents required by the local program.
• Names and birth dates of everyone in the household.
• Recent proof of gross income for household members, including wages, Social Security, pensions, unemployment, self-employment, or zero-income forms.
• Current utility bill, fuel account, shutoff notice, disconnection proof, or delivery refusal.
• Landlord statement or lease if energy is included in rent or the account is not in your name.
• Proof of address.
• SNAP, SSI, TANF, or qualifying veterans-benefit notice if the local program uses categorical eligibility.
• Medical statement when required for a life-threatening or cooling crisis.
• Repair diagnosis, red-tag notice, unsafe-equipment report, or contractor information if the agency asks for it.

The site’s document checklist covers extra proof that a repair or weatherization program may request.

What Happens After You Apply

The office checks household members, income, energy responsibility, crisis proof, prior benefits, and available funds. Equipment requests can require an inspection, diagnosis, bid, landlord permission, ownership proof, and approved contractor.

If approved, the agency may pay the supplier, arrange fuel or repair, provide equipment, or refer you to weatherization. Ask for the approved amount, remaining balance, and next step.

LIHEAP is not designed to pay a household’s full annual energy cost. A benefit can be smaller than the past-due balance or repair quote. If a balance remains, ask the utility about a payment arrangement, budget billing, hardship rate, deposit waiver, medical protection, arrears program, or charitable fuel fund.

Equipment approval may exclude electrical, chimney, venting, code, asbestos, or structural work. Get written confirmation before signing.

If You Are Denied, Delayed, or the Program Is Closed

Federal law requires a fair administrative hearing opportunity when a claim is denied or is not acted on with reasonable promptness. The denial notice should explain the reason and how to appeal. Follow its deadline. Keep the envelope, notice, application, documents, and proof of submission.

Ask for the exact missing item, the appeal form, the deadline, and whether a supervisor can review a life-threatening case. If the problem is a wrong income calculation, household count, utility responsibility, or missing document, send proof with a short written explanation.

The site’s guide on what to do after a repair assistance denial explains how to read notices, correct a file, request review, and try another program.

Backup Help When LIHEAP Is Not Enough

Do not wait on one program when safety or shutoff is urgent. Try several doors, but tell each agency about pending help so payments are coordinated.

• Utility hardship office: Ask about payment plans, medical protections, senior or disability programs, budget billing, deposit rules, and utility-funded assistance. A payment plan is debt that must be repaid.
• 211: The 211 utility page connects households to local fuel funds, nonprofits, cooling centers, emergency lodging, and other help. Call 211 where available.
• Area Agency on Aging: Older adults and caregivers can use the Eldercare Locator or call 1-800-677-1116 for local aging-service referrals.
• Weatherization: Apply even when the immediate bill crisis is handled. It may reduce future costs, but waitlists and audits are common.
• Community Action Agency: Ask about Community Services Block Grant funds, local fuel funds, emergency needs, and coordinated energy programs.
• Legal aid or utility regulator: Use this path when a shutoff notice, billing error, deposit, landlord issue, or protected-status rule may be wrong.
• Local repair programs: A city, county, rural, senior, disability, veteran, or nonprofit repair program may cover work LIHEAP excludes. Confirm whether the help is a grant, loan, deferred loan, or service.

Scam and Unsafe Financing Warnings

A 24-Hour Action Plan

1. Make the home safe. Leave and call emergency services or the utility emergency line when needed.
2. Photograph the shutoff notice, fuel gauge, red tag, thermostat, damaged equipment, and any error message.
3. Call the utility or fuel vendor and ask for the exact deadline and minimum action needed.
4. Call the local LIHEAP office and request the correct open component.
5. Send the documents the office names. Confirm that the application is complete.
6. Write down the case number and follow-up time.
7. Call 211, weatherization, or an aging office for backup help.
8. Do not authorize equipment work until the paying program gives written approval.