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

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Maine program

Help with heating and electricity (Maine HEAP)

Seasonal heating help with an electricity-assistance review on the same application.

What it is

Seasonal heating help with an electricity-assistance review on the same application.

Heating costs can be difficult alongside treatment expenses. Maine’s community action agencies take HEAP applications. The same process can include electricity assistance, and separate crisis help operates in winter.

Eligibility rules
  • The 2026–2027 monthly limits are $3,173 for one person, $4,149 for two and $5,125 for three.
  • For four people the limit is $6,101; for five, $7,077; for six, $8,053.
  • You must meet Maine program eligibility and seasonal application rules.
What you get
  • Help toward heating costs, subject to funding.
  • An electricity-assistance review through the Low Income Assistance Program.
  • Crisis heating help during its operating season.
What the help includes
  • The amount depends on the program’s calculation and available funding.
  • The award depends on the year’s funding. If you are above the income line, ask the agency to deduct medical expenses; that can bring you under it.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask your local community action agency about the seasonal heating and electricity application.
  2. Have income information and heating and electricity bills ready.

Your local community action agency through MaineHousing · Official page ↗

After you ask
  • The announced 2026–2027 HEAP application season is August 3, 2026 through May 29, 2027, or until available funding is exhausted. Your social worker can help identify the local agency and its appointment arrangements.
  • The crisis program runs November 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027.
Good to know

A household just over the line can ask the agency to take medical expenses off its income first; it does not help a family far over the line.

Other details
  • A medical certificate that postpones utility shutoff is separate from payment assistance.

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

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could heating or electricity assistance help us, including any medical-expense deduction? What are the limits, and could you help with the application if it fits?”

Why I’m asking: I want to understand which household energy costs could receive help.

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 season and ask for the electricity discount on the same form.

Your social worker

The community action agency takes the application.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
MaineHousing, through the local community action agency.
Ask the agency
“Can we apply for heating help and the electricity discount together, and is a medical-expense deduction possible if we are over the guideline?”

How to apply

First step: Apply through your community action agency once the season opens on August 3.

  1. Apply through the community action agency once the season opens.
  2. Ask for the electricity discount on the same form.
  3. If income is over the chart, ask about the medical-expense deduction.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply through your community action agency during the season; the same application covers the electricity discount.

What to gather

  • Recent income
  • The heating bill or fuel invoice
  • The electricity bill

How long: Depends on the agency and on available funding.

What a yes looks like

A payment towards the fuel supplier and a credit on the electricity account.

What a no looks like, and the next move

If the no is about income, ask about the medical-expense deduction and about the crisis programme.

Watch out

  • One application covers both heating and electricity, so ask for both.
  • Over the guideline? Ask about the medical-expense deduction; the amount is not published.

Dates that change this

2026-09-11: The chart does not say whether the limits are a share of the poverty level or of state median income, so this record does not label them either way.

The numbers and the rules

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

What it is worth

Help with the heating bill, plus an electricity discount, at $6,101 a month for four people and $5,125 for three.

  • $3,173/month — Monthly income limit, household of 1
  • $4,149/month — Monthly income limit, household of 2
  • $5,125/month — Monthly income limit, household of 3
  • $6,101/month — Monthly income limit, household of 4
  • $7,077/month — Monthly income limit, household of 5
  • $8,053/month — Monthly income limit, household of 6

Covers: Help with the heating bill in season · A crisis programme when the fuel runs out · The Low Income Assistance Program for the electricity bill

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
the 2026 to 2027 chart, households 1 to 6
Residency
Maine
Season
applications August 3, 2026 to May 29, 2027; crisis help November 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027

Decisions this site cannot make: Community action agency determination

Expect friction on: The season opens and closes on fixed dates and depends on funding

The trap: Applying for the heating help is also the application for the electricity discount, so do both in one visit. If income is over the guideline, ask about the medical-expense deduction: MaineHousing says one is possible, though it publishes no amount.

Where I read this

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