LIHEAP is designed "to assist low-income households, particularly those with the lowest incomes, that pay a high proportion of household income for home energy, primarily in meeting their immediate home energy needs."  This assistance targets the costs of heating and cooling in residential dwellings.

How to Apply: Unlike some Federal programs, applications, eligibility rules, types of assistance, and benefit levels can vary greatly among LIHEAP programs throughout the country. The Federal government does not send or accept applications for LIHEAP assistance. For information on applying for LIHEAP assistance, please contact your:

• LIHEAP State or Territory agency
• LIHEAP Indian Tribe or Tribal Organization agency

You may also contact the National Energy Assistance Referral (NEAR) project. NEAR is a free service providing information on where to apply for LIHEAP assistance. NEAR can be contacted by e-mail energy@ncat.org (please include your city, county and state in your e-mail message) or by using NEAR's toll-free phone number 1-866-674-6327 (or 1-866-NRG-NEAR).  You can also access the online referral directory here .

Additional information about LIHEAP can be found in our Program Brochure. 

• Brochure, (PDF (PDF))
• Español, (PDF (PDF))

You may also visit our Consumer Frequently Asked Questions for answers to commonly asked questions that you may have about LIHEAP assistance.  

Indoor Health and Safety: Safe, reliable, and continuous home heating and cooling are a necessity of life. The inability to heat or cool one's home adequately can put people at risk for serious health and safety problems. Households with a frail, elderly, disabled person, or a young child are more prone to the effects of poorly regulated indoor temperatures.  For more information, please click here.

Resources: More information related to low-income energy assistance can be found here.

Other Federal Resources: If you are interested in other Federal benefits that you may qualify for, please visit the following web sites:

•An overall resource for consumers on a variety of topics can be found at USA.gov .

•Benefits.gov  is the Federal government's benefits web site.  This is a free tool that can help you find government benefits that you may be eligible to receive.