A. Introduction
The third step in the Three-Step Approach is to find sources that can help pay the utility bills, after any available protections have been asserted, and after the customer has been placed on the discount rates and made the best payment plan arrangement possible.
B. Direct Bill Payment Assistance: Fuel Assistance and Other Programs
1. HEAP (Fuel Assistance)
The fuel assistance program, formally known as the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program or HEAP, provides direct payments to help low-income households pay their heating-related bills. HEAP is run by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (HLC). In order to be income-eligible, the household’s income must be at or below 60% of median income.
HEAP primarily assists customers with payment of their heating-related energy bills, although it can pay so-called “secondary sources” to a limited extent (for example, make a partial payment on the electric bill of someone who heats with natural gas). Therefore, gas customers are eligible for payments on their gas bills if they use gas for home heating. But a customer who uses gas only for cooking will not get assistance with the gas bill. Electric customers are eligible for payments on their electric bills if they heat with electricity or use electricity to operate their heating system (such as for blower fans, circulators, and thermostats).
Note that HEAP also provides direct payments to tenants whose heat is included in the rent (with the exception of certain public housing/subsidized tenants whose heat is included in the rent, if the rent is capped at 30% or less of the tenant’s income). Therefore, tenants who pay rent and whose landlords provide the heat ARE eligible to receive fuel assistance, if the income eligibility criteria are met.
The maximum amount of payment assistance per household varies by year, and also by the type of housing (private rental vs. public/subsidized). Payments in recent years have ranged from a few hundred dollars to $1,000. To find out where to apply for HEAP or fuel assistance in your area, call 311 or visit https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-home-heating-and-energy-assistance/.
Households can apply as early as November 1 each year, and the end date is usually in April. Households must reapply each year to get assistance.
Note that HEAP payments are NOT counted as income for TAFDC, SSI, SNAP (Food Stamps), or Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled, and Children (EAEDC) so it will not affect clients’ benefit amounts. Further, receipt of HEAP entitles a SNAP recipient to receive the full heating standard utility allowance (SUA) deduction against household income. As of September 2025, the heating SUA is $890.6 This means that receiving Fuel Assistance could in some cases significantly increase the household’s SNAP allotment or make the household eligible for SNAP when it otherwise would not be.
Low-income households not eligible for Fuel Assistance may be eligible for assistance from a variety of other sources, public and private, described below. However, HEAP serves far more households than any other program, and usually with larger payments than available through other programs. Therefore, it is always worth checking whether the household is eligible for HEAP assistance.
2. Other Government Programs: FEMA, RAFT, etc.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers an Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP), under which grants are allocated to counties and regions across the United States. In general, the EFSP pays no more than one month’s utility bill and requires that the household has received a shut-off notice. In many areas of the state, the same agency that takes HEAP applications also administers the EFSP money. If not, the HEAP agency would know where a household would need to apply for an EFSP grant.
HLC runs a program called Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), which can provide substantial help with utility and heating bills. Information is at https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-raft-emergency-help-for-housing-costs.
In general, to get RAFT assistance, the family must have at least one dependent child under the age of 21, be at risk of homelessness, and meet income eligibility guidelines. A utility shut-off notice may be considered a housing crisis for the purposes of RAFT eligibility. Utility or heating bill payments will be made only if they are part of a plan to get the family re-housed or to stabilize an at-risk household. The funds are administered by regional nonprofit agencies whose contact information can be found at the web address in the preceding paragraph. RAFT funds are often exhausted early in the fiscal year, which begins July 1. Any household considering applying should do so as early in this cycle as possible.
If the client receives TAFDC and is moving out of an emergency shelter and is having trouble getting utilities turned on in the new apartment due to an old arrearage, you should advise the client to apply for relocation benefits from DTA. (See 106 C.M.R. § 705.350.) Shelter clients can get up to $1,000 to pay for expenses related to their new housing, including paying off past utility bills. This will help reduce the arrearage or pay it off entirely.
Various state agencies, such as the DTA or Department of Children and Families (DCF), may occasionally have programs available that can help clients pay their utility bills, or on a case-by-case basis, be able to provide individual clients with some type of discretionary funds. Any household that receives assistance from a state agency (whether DCF, DTA, DMH, HLC, or any other agency) should ask his or her caseworker whether the agency has any ability to help pay overdue utility bills.
3. Charities and Nonprofit Agencies
There are any number of charities, churches and nonprofit agencies that provide utility bill payment assistance on an individual and highly discretionary basis or as part of a more wide-spread program. It is always worth asking around locally—at churches, town halls, social service agencies, etc.—which sources are available at the local level.
Some of the better-known sources that help with utility or heating bills include the following:
- The Good Neighbor Energy Fund generally provides a one-time grant to those with incomes between 60% and 80% of the state’s median income levels. For more information, go to http://www.magoodneighbor.org/.
- The discount Heating Oil Service program run by the Green Energy Consumers Alliance acts like a coop or buyers club, with special pricing. For more information, see https://www.greenenergyconsumers.org/heatingoil.
- The Salvation Army, United Way, and Catholic Charities all provide some level of help with utility bills, but may not accept applications directly. Instead, the household may have to apply to a local charity or agency that in turn gets its funding from these groups.
- Many cities and towns have access to small charitable bequests that individuals have provided to help needy residents. It is always worth asking the city or town hall if any such funds are available.
C. Indirect Assistance: Weatherization and Energy Efficiency
Heating and cooling bills in many households are too high due to drafts around windows and doors, poor insulation, or inefficient or broken heating units. “Weatherizing” the house or apartment, by fixing places where cold air infiltrates and adding insulation to walls and roofs, and tuning up or replacing old or inoperative heating systems can significantly reduce a household’s energy bills. Throughout the state, there are local organizations that provide weatherization and heating system services to low-income tenants and homeowners. These same agencies can also replace old and inefficient refrigerators and other lights or appliances that waste energy. These programs run year-round. Priority is given to households where a resident is elderly, a person with a disability, Native American, or under the age of 7. To qualify for this assistance, household income must be under 60% of the median household income.
To find an agency in your area that provides low-income weatherization and heating system repair/replacement services, call HLC at (800) 632-8175 or read HLC’s “Cold Relief” brochure at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/learn-about-home-energy-assistance-heap.
In some circumstances, tenants may be able to use the State Sanitary Code to help reduce wasteful consumption of energy in the tenant’s apartment, although the Code sets only the most minimal requirements in terms of energy usage. A property owner is required to provide and maintain a heating system capable of heating the apartment to 68 degrees from 7 A.M. to 11 P.M., and to 64 degrees at night. (See 105 C.M.R. § 410.201.) Owners must also repair broken windows and ensure that doors close properly. However, the Code does not require that an owner install efficient appliances or add insulation to walls or roofs that have little or no insulation.
A tenant who believes the owner is violating the Code in ways that cause the energy bills to be too high should notify the landlord, and should request that the landlord inspect the premises and make any needed repairs to the heating system, windows, doors, roof, etc. If the landlord does not do so within a few days, the tenant should call the housing inspector in the town or city and ask for an inspection, noting the particular problems that are affecting the heating bills. If the inspector finds violations of the housing code, the city will require that the landlord make the necessary repairs.
There are steps that low-income households can take themselves to reduce energy bills. Any residential household can request its utility to conduct an energy audit that will help the household reduce wasteful use of energy. If the household is low-income, the utility may refer the request to a local community action agency or other program that operates the fuel assistance and weatherization programs. On its own, the household can make sure that heating thermostats are turned down to low (but still comfortable) levels, that water thermostats are set at the low end of the range that provides adequate water temperatures, that windows are kept closed during the winter, and that energy-saving LED light bulbs are installed in lighting fixtures. Homeowners should consider buying appliances that carry the “Energy Star” rating, when old appliances need to be replaced, and tenants should consider asking landlord/owners to install only Energy Star appliances as well. A household’s local fuel assistance or weatherization agency (https://www.mass.gov/info-details/learn-about-home-energy-assistance-heap) can provide more detailed information on energy conservation measures households can take.
D. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps)
Many low-income households are eligible for SNAP/Food Stamps, and they should be counseled to apply for them. Receiving SNAP benefits will save the household money on food, which will free up more money for utility bills. Moreover, low-income clients with heating and cooling bills may qualify for extra SNAP benefits in two different ways:
Clients who pay for electricity to run an air conditioner in the summer are entitled to extra income deductions in the SNAP program year-round.
Under SNAP regulations,7 any household that has cooling costs—such as air conditioning, from a window or central air conditioner—is entitled to the same full standard utility allowance (SUA) that is given to households which incur heating costs. (The SUA is $636 per month as of 20188). Using an air conditioner qualifies the household for the maximum utility deduction in calculating SNAP eligibility and benefits levels. This rule applies to households which pay either their landlord or a utility company for the electricity to run their air conditioners for any part of the year. Claiming the SUA can increase the household’s SNAP benefits by several hundred dollars per year. If the household uses any kind of summer cooling device, such as a window air conditioner, the household should report that to DTA so that the SNAP benefits can be increased, in the event that the household is not already receiving the full SUA.
Clients who get fuel assistance in any amount are entitled to extra income deductions in the SNAP program year-round.
Receipt of fuel assistance in any amount also entitles a SNAP recipient to receive the full heating SUA deduction against household income. Therefore, receiving fuel assistance could in some cases increase the household’s SNAP allotment or make the household eligible for SNAP benefits when it otherwise would not be.
E. Public/Subsidized Housing and Utility Allowances
Many tenants who live in public or subsidized housing and pay their own utility bills are entitled to a “utility allowance,” in the form of a credit against the rent that would otherwise be due to the housing authority or property owner. Because energy prices are volatile and sometimes increase quickly, the utility allowance that any tenant receives can be out of date and inadequate. Tenants who receive utility allowances have the right to seek adjustments in those allowances to bring them more in line with current costs. Whenever the actual utility bills of a public or subsidized housing tenant are, say, 10% or greater than the utility allowance being offered, the tenant should consider seeking an adjustment in the utility allowance. The process of seeking an increase in utility allowances can be challenging, so any tenants who are interested in doing so should seek the help of the local legal services program or other advocacy agency.
6 See 106 C.M.R. § 364.945 and https://www.mass.gov/info-details/how-to-calculate-snap-benefits#:~:text=We%20credit%20your%20utilities%20with,my%20net%20income%20for%20SNAP.
7 106 C.M.R. § 364.400(G)(2)(a).
8 106 C.M.R. § 364.945.