Written by a parent, not a doctor. Nothing here is medical advice.

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Alabama program

Help with the power bill

Help paying home heating or cooling bills through a local agency (LIHEAP).

What it is

Help paying home heating or cooling bills through a local agency (LIHEAP).

Energy assistance can put a payment toward your utility bill. A local community action or nonprofit agency handles the request. Its funding and intake dates affect when help is available.

Eligibility rules
  • Alabama residency and income at or below 150% of poverty are required.
  • The agency measures gross income for the month before the application month.
What you get
  • A payment toward your home energy bill.
  • Heating, cooling and crisis help depend on local funding.
What the help includes
  • The FY2026 plan covers winter assistance October 1, 2025–April 30, 2026 and summer assistance May 1–September 30, 2026. It estimates heating awards of $280–$580 and cooling awards of $320–$520. Ask the local agency which income table, funding and payment apply; these ranges are not guaranteed awards.
  • Crisis help pays what is needed to keep service on for 30 days, usually up to twice the ordinary award.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask the social worker which local community action agency handles your address.
  2. Have ready: the recent bill, last month’s household income and identity documents.
  3. Ask the local agency about its application and whether crisis help is open.

Community action or local nonprofit agency, funded by the state Department of Economic and Community Affairs · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • An approved payment goes to the utility and appears as a bill credit.
  • Crisis requests are decided within 48 hours once your papers are in, or 18 hours when losing power would be life-threatening.
Good to know

The state agency does not take applications. A pay drop affects this test through the previous month’s income.

Other details
  • Local intake hours vary. The statewide plan covers winter and summer assistance, while some utility leaflets describe narrower seasons or areas.
  • For assistance from October 1, 2026, ask the local agency for the final FY2027 rules, current funds and applicable award schedule.

Federal background: Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP).

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could energy assistance help with our bill, and how much or how soon might it cover? If it is available, could you help us find the right local application?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand what bill help is available before relying on a payment plan.

More background and detailed requirements
Additional program information and published rules

Who does what

The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.

You

Apply in person at the local agency with the bill and last month's income.

Your social worker

The oncology social worker often knows the local agency by name.

The care team

Nothing.

Who decides
The local community action or nonprofit agency.
Ask the agency
“My child is in cancer treatment and our power bill is behind. Is crisis help open right now?”

How to apply

First step: Find your county's community action agency and ask when its season opens and what to bring.

  1. Find your local community action agency and ask when its season opens.
  2. Apply in a month when income was low, because the month before counts.
  3. Ask about crisis help separately if a bill is already behind.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply at your local community action agency. The state agency does not take applications.

What to gather

  • The most recent energy bill
  • Last month's income for everyone in the home
  • Identity documents for the household

How long: Set by the local agency. Heating and winter crisis run October 1 to April 30; cooling and summer crisis run May 1 to September 30.

What a yes looks like

A payment made straight to the utility, shown as a credit on your bill.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Often funds for the season, not the rules. Ask when the next season opens and whether crisis money is separate.

Watch out

  • The state agency does not take applications; a local agency does, and its hours are its own.
  • Last month's income is what counts, so the month after a pay drop is the month to apply.
  • A power company leaflet describes a shorter season and a few counties; the state's own plan is statewide and runs both a winter and a summer season.

Dates that change this

2026-05-15: The only recent dollar chart found sits inside a draft plan for the next federal year, so no award or income dollar figure is printed here; the 150 percent line comes from the agency's own page. (not yet confirmed against the final rule)

The numbers and the rules

The arcane layer, kept on purpose. Checked September 11, 2026.

What it is worth

A payment toward the energy bill for households at or under 150 percent of the poverty level. Alabama's current dollar chart sits only in a draft plan, so no award figure is printed here.

Covers: A payment toward the heating or cooling bill · Crisis help in each season

Legal protection: Statewide, through community action and local nonprofit agencies

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
not more than 150 percent of the federal poverty level, measured on gross income for the month before the month of application
Residency
Alabama

Expect friction on: The state agency does not take applications; a local community agency does

The trap: Eligibility looks at the month before you apply, so a month when pay collapsed is the month to apply in.

Where I read this

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