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Kentucky program

Help with energy bills (LIHEAP)

Local community action agencies provide seasonal help with eligible energy bills.

What it is

Local community action agencies provide seasonal help with eligible energy bills.

LIHEAP pays the energy company directly. Each seasonal component has its own dates and income rules. Your local community action agency can explain the current opening.

Eligibility rules
  • LIHEAP has separate seasonal components, income tables and funding limits. The local Community Action Agency can confirm which component is open, its current household-income limit and the help available. A summer income table does not establish winter eligibility or an open application period.
  • You must live in Kentucky.
  • Applications only inside a published season, or until the money is spent.
What you get
  • A payment toward an eligible energy bill.
Amounts and limits
  • Each seasonal component has its own income table and award rules. The local Community Action Agency confirms the current component, dates, benefit amount and remaining funding.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask your local community action agency which energy-assistance season is open.
  2. Have proof of the previous month’s income for everyone in the home ready.

LIHEAP: 833-372-0004 · Official page ↗

If you decide to apply
  • The decision comes from the local community action agency.
Good to know

Seasonal help is not an ongoing monthly benefit. Funding can run out before the advertised closing date.

Other details
  • The summer announcement covered August 3 through September 11, 2026. That period has ended; the local agency confirms later openings and their rules.

Federal background: LIHEAP.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“What energy help could we receive, what are the limits, and could you help us decide whether to apply during the next opening?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand whether help is available for the household’s energy costs.

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 inside the window with last month's income proof.

Your social worker

The agency pays the energy company directly.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The local community action agency.
Ask the agency
“We have a child on chemotherapy at home. When does the next energy-help season open, and can we apply?”

How to apply

First step: Call the local community action agency and ask when the next season opens.

  1. Call the local community action agency now and ask when the next season opens.
  2. Have the previous month's income proof ready before the window opens.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Contact your local community action agency. Bring proof of the previous month's income for everyone in the home.

What to gather

  • Last month's income proof for everyone in the home
  • The most recent energy bill
  • Identification

How long: Decided at the appointment, inside the season.

What a yes looks like

A credit on the energy account, not a payment to you.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If the season had closed, ask to be told when the next one opens.

Watch out

  • The seasons are short and close early when the money runs out.
  • The winter dates and income table for this year have not been published. Call rather than wait.

The numbers and the rules

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

What it is worth

A payment to the energy company at or under $4,125 a month for four people on the summer table, with short seasonal windows.

  • $4,125/month — Monthly income ceiling, household of 4, summer component at 150%
  • $3,415/month — Monthly income ceiling, household of 3, summer component
  • $2,705/month — Monthly income ceiling, household of 2, summer component

Covers: A payment made directly to the energy company · Delivered by 23 community action agencies across 120 counties

What it costs the family: Nothing to apply.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
150% of the poverty guideline for the summer component; the winter figure is unconfirmed
Residency
Kentucky
Timing
applications only inside a published season, or until the money is spent

The trap: The seasons are short and they close when the money runs out. The summer cooling window this year ran from August 3 to September 11, 2026. The winter dates for 2026 to 2027 have not been published, so call the local community action agency rather than waiting for a letter.

Where I read this

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