Local Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) agencies are accepting applications for the 2025-2026 winter season for first-time applicants and applicants renewing/recertifying from the previous year. Please continue to encourage your community members to apply and please continue to offer your assistance.
However, beginning November 1st, HEAP will have limited funding for heating emergencies only. Awarding HEAP benefits that are NOT emergencies will be otherwise paused until the federal government reopens and approves new funding for the Home Energy Assistance Program.
Heating-related emergencies include:
- No heat.
- A termination notice from a utility.
- Less than 1/8 of a tank of oil.
- Less than three days’ supply of other deliverable fuels.
*Emergencies for delivered fuels will be authorized by a phone call with a follow-up voucher for each emergency order. *
Because this is a federally funded program and the federal government shut down on October 1, applicants should anticipate experiencing delays in application processing and payments.
Additionally, low-income members of your community may be eligible for shut-off protection via the Winter Moratorium.
The Winter Moratorium has been put into effect early this season and extended. The Moratorium begins 10/27/2025 and ends 4/1/2026. This means low-income customers will have their utility protected from termination, provided they have submitted verification of financial hardship to the utility company: Financial Hardship Forms. Each utility company has its own version:
The Winter Moratorium helps protect most low-income utility customers from having their services shut off, but this does not happen automatically.
The Department of Public Utilities No Shut Off List
The DPU No Shut Off List provides another means of shut-off protection. Please access information on this program on the state’s website for eligibility details.
Your state legislators are aware that this protection is critical for many seniors, and they are willing to advocate for them. They can work with the DPU and the Attorney General’s team to ensure people get on this list if they qualify.
Please be aware that some gas heating systems require electricity to run. Gas consumers are protected from having their gas shut off as their primary heating source, but their electricity can still be shut off, so getting all the protections possible—for more than one utility connected to a heating system–is essential.
