What kind of help is available to pay for winter energy bills?
What you need to know
The Low Income Energy Assistance Program, or LIEAP, is a federally-funded program that provides heating, crisis and weatherization assistance to more than 126,000 households across the state, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. Several local programs have announced a cut in funding.
Each year, the program distributes one-time payments directly to electric, natural gas and fuel oil providers, to help eligible households cover heating costs. Last year, the program provided $300-$600 per eligible household for heating costs. This year, the program will not open to applications until federal funds are received. Eligible applicants do not receive the funds.
If you want to make your house safer and more energy efficient, the state’s Weatherization Assistance Program can help. The program is available year round and helps with things like sealing air leaks, installing insulation and replacing lighting with energy-efficient bulbs.
Local community action agencies manage the application process and partner with weatherization contractors to perform safety inspections and complete energy saving projects, like repairing and replacing heating and cooling systems and insulating homes. The program had a $12,000 maximum cap per household last year.
The program is funded in part by LIEAP and is administered by the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality.
Who pays for it?
The federal government provides funding to the state to pay for the LIEAP programs. In fiscal year 2025, North Carolina was awarded more than $108 million in federal funding for LIEAP.
Who is eligible for heating assistance?
To qualify for LIEAP assistance, a household must:
Have at least one U.S. citizen or non-citizen who meets eligibility criteria
Have its heating source billed separately. If your rent includes heating costs, then you’re not eligible.
Earn no more than 130% of the federal poverty level.
If you are age 65 or older or if you are identified as disabled by the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult services, you may also qualify for assistance if your household income is no more than 150% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four in this group, the total monthly income cannot exceed $4,019.
When can I apply?
If government funding is restored, applications for heating assistance are accepted Dec. 1-31, 2025, for priority households.
Priority households include someone aged 60 or older, or an individual with a disability receiving services from the state and are currently receiving benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. Households in this priority group who received a LIEAP payment last year will be automatically approved again this year, according to the state health department. Pre-approved applicants don’t need to reapply as long as they continue to meet eligibility requirements, according to the state health department.
Other eligible households may apply beginning Jan. 1, 2026 through March 31, 2026, or until funds run out.
To apply, contact your local Department of Social Services. Applications can also be submitted through North Carolina ePASS at epass.nc.gov.
Households that include a Native American adult in Cumberland, Hoke, Robeson and Scotland counties must apply through the Lumbee Tribe, according to the state health department.
Households that include a Native American adult in Cherokee, Graham, Haywood, Jackson and Swain counties must apply through the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
How do I apply for weatherization?
To qualify for assistance through the state’s Weatherization Assistance Program, applicants must: own or rent their home AND earn no more than 200% of the federal poverty level or receive assistance under Work First or Supplemental Security.
Priority is given to households with older individuals, people with disabilities, families with children, high-energy users or a high energy burden, meaning energy costs account for 6% or more of a household’s income, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Applications are submitted through your local service provider. Find yours here.
What if I need emergency assistance?
The North Carolina Crisis Intervention Program helps households who are experiencing (or are in danger of experiencing) a life-threatening or health-related emergency. The program is for recipients who cannot get funding from any other source.
If you do not have a heating or cooling source (or if you have a disconnect notice for your primary heating or cooling) and living without it would harm the health and well-being of someone in your household, then the situation is considered “life threatening.”
The program accepts applications each year beginning July 1 and provides assistance until funds run out.
Household eligibility requirements include:
Having at least one U.S. citizen or non-citizen who meets the eligibility criteria
Experiencing an energy-related crisis
Providing a utility statement, like a final due or past due notice, showing amount owed
Maximum monthly income for households with a member aged 60 or older, or is disabled is $4,500, according to the state health department. The monthly income limit for all other households is $3,000.
To apply, contact your local Department of Social Services. Applications can also be submitted through North Carolina ePASS at epass.nc.gov.
Will the government shutdown delay assistance?
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services typically awards block grants to North Carolina in October for the assistance program. The government shutdown, which ended Nov. 12 delayed those payments.
It is unclear how quickly funds will be disbursed to states. As of Nov. 21, North Carolina had not yet received its notice of award for the 2026 block grant, according to the state health department.
“No additional LIHEAP is available without federal funding and may impact new applicants for the LIHEAP program if funding continues to be delayed,” state health department spokesperson Summer Tonizzo told NC Local in a Nov. 21 email.
A spokesperson for the federal Department of Health and Human Services told NC Local in a Nov. 24 email that the division overseeing assistance “is moving swiftly to distribute annual awards and restore essential services,” with block grant funding expected to be released by the end of the month.
Despite the delay, payments to pre-approved households in North Carolina are still slated to be delivered at the end of November, Tonizzo, of the state health department, said.
The state’s weatherization program also paused its assistance services Nov. 7 due to “federal budget uncertainty.”
As a result, providers might not have funding to review applications, according to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Households in the process of receiving services will be contacted by local service providers. If eligible, they will receive assistance when the program restarts, the department said.
Get Help
Companies can’t disconnect service to certain households for a five-month period beginning Nov. 1. Households with a member who is disabled or 65 or older; are unable to pay under an installment plan; and are deemed eligible by a local department of social services to receive energy assistance cannot have their service disconnected, according to the North Carolina Department of Justice. Monthly charges still accumulate during the five-month period.
Some companies also offer assistance. Additional heating or energy assistance programs include:
Wake Electric’s Operation Round Up
The Haywood Electric Company’s “Helping Each Member Cope” program
Salvation Army Utility Rent Assistance
Piedmont Natural Gas Customer Assistance and Share the Warmth programs
Frontier Natural Gas Payment Assistance
