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

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Arizona program

Help with the electricity bill

Arizona energy assistance pays the utility toward heating, cooling or an energy-bill crisis.

What it is

Arizona energy assistance pays the utility toward heating, cooling or an energy-bill crisis.

Falling work hours can make energy bills harder to cover. DES’s combined application screens for LIHEAP and the higher-income Power AZ route. Your household, bill situation and available funds still need checking.

Eligibility rules
  • DES checks LIHEAP using the higher of 60% of state median income or 150% of poverty. The current monthly line for a household of three is $4,743. The same application also screens for Power AZ, whose current household-of-three line is $7,906; being above LIHEAP’s line does not by itself close the energy-help question. DES decides who and what income count, and funding and other rules still apply.
  • The July 1, 2026 table gives monthly limits of $4,743 for three people and $5,647 for four. These cells use the state-median-income branch.
What you get
  • Regular LIHEAP awards range from $160 to $640 when approved.
  • Help with heating, cooling or a threatened shutoff.
What the help includes
  • An approved payment appears as a credit on the utility account rather than cash to the family.
  • Regular help is $160, $320, $480 or $640 depending on income and the bill. A crisis award can add up to $500. One of each in 12 months.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask DES or the social worker about the energy-assistance application and whether the crisis route fits.
  2. Have a recent bill, current household income and any shutoff notice ready.

Arizona DES energy assistance · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • DES’s July 2026 policy allows up to 45 calendar days for ordinary processing, excluding time allowed to complete missing information. Crisis help has a 48-hour limit, or 18 hours for the policy’s life-threatening emergency test, through issuing payment. An application alone does not stop a shutoff. If service is threatened, ask the social worker and utility to review medical protection and payment options separately.
  • DES gives you 15 days to send any missing papers. A decision takes up to 45 days, or 48 hours for a crisis and 18 hours when losing power would be life-threatening.
Good to know

Assistance is not limited to summer shutoff-protection dates. A pending application does not itself stop disconnection; utility protections need a separate check.

Other details
  • DES can confirm the current funding, income calculation and which of LIHEAP or Power AZ fits the household. A maximum award is not a promised payment.

Federal background: LIHEAP.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could energy assistance help with our bill, and would the crisis route apply if service is at risk? Could you help us understand the amount and application before we decide?”

Why I’m asking: I want to keep the home’s heating or cooling affordable during treatment.

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 online with a recent bill and this month’s income.

Your social worker

The social worker can point you at the local office if you would rather apply in person.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The Arizona Department of Economic Security.
Ask the agency
“I have a child in cancer treatment and a bill I cannot pay. Can I apply for energy assistance, including the crisis route?”

How to apply

First step: Apply at des.az.gov/liheap with a recent bill.

  1. Apply on the department’s energy assistance page, whatever the season.
  2. If a shutoff notice has arrived, say so; that is the crisis route.
  3. Ask the electricity company about its own discount at the same time.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply through the department’s energy assistance page.

What to gather

  • A recent utility bill
  • This month’s income for everyone at home
  • Any shutoff notice

How long: The July 2026 policy allows up to 45 calendar days, excluding time to complete missing information. Crisis payment has a 48-hour limit, or 18 hours for qualifying life-threatening emergencies. A pending application does not stop shutoff.

What a yes looks like

A credit on the utility account rather than money to you.

What a no looks like, and the next move

Check which income figure was used and whether a crisis application would be treated differently.

Watch out

  • Apply whatever the season; the seasons decide how money is allocated, not when you can apply.
  • The department’s page keeps an old worked example that disagrees with its own table; go by the table.

The numbers and the rules

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

What it is worth

Help with heating, cooling or a crisis; the income line is $5,647 a month for four people, effective July 1, 2026.

  • $5,647/month — Income line, home of 4
  • $4,743/month — Income line, home of 3

Covers: Help with a heating bill · Help with a cooling bill · Crisis help when a shutoff is coming

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
the greater of 60% of the state median income or 150% of the poverty level; the published cells are the state-median branch
Residency
Arizona

The trap: Apply even outside your county’s allocation season: the seasons decide how the money is split, not when you can apply. Heating and cooling seasons differ between the northern and southern counties.

Where I read this

← Back to your options