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

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New Hampshire program

Help with the heating and electric bill

Help with heating costs and a separate discount on electricity, through your community action agency.

What it is

Help with heating costs and a separate discount on electricity, through your community action agency.

Heating help and the electric discount are two programs at the same office. Both can ease the bills when pay drops. The community action agency checks the income rules and the household’s energy costs.

Eligibility rules
  • The electric discount covers Eversource, Liberty Utilities, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative and Unitil customers.
  • Fuel Assistance and Electric Assistance use their own current income rules. The 2025–26 fuel table is not a confirmed 2026–27 limit. Your Community Action agency can check the current household-size table, which income counts and the electric program’s separate screen; the older figures are not a reason to rule help out.
What you get
  • A seasonal payment toward heating costs.
  • An electric-bill discount based on the program’s income rules.
What the help covers
  • Your Community Action agency confirms the 2026–27 heating benefit and the separate electricity-discount schedule.
  • The covered bill periods can differ for delivered fuel, gas and electric heat. Your Community Action agency confirms which bills qualify for the current season.
If you decide to apply
  1. Ask your local community action agency for both Fuel Assistance and Electric Assistance applications.
  2. Bring current income records and your fuel, electric and heating bills.

The local community action agency · Official page ↗

After you apply
  • Your Community Action agency confirms when 2026–27 applications are accepted, when benefits can be paid and the final application date. Emergency-help arrangements can have different dates.
Good to know

Your Community Action agency can check both programs separately, including application dates, payment dates and emergency help.

Other details
  • A medical utility certificate addresses shutoff protection separately; it does not pay the bill.

Federal background: LIHEAP.

Official sources
Ask your social worker

“Could fuel help and the electric discount lower our bills? Could you help us check the amounts, timing and paperwork for both?”

Why I’m asking: I want to keep the home warm without falling further behind on energy bills.

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 at the local agency and ask for both programmes.

Your social worker

The social worker can point you to the right agency for your town.

The care team

Records and letters when the application asks for them.

Who decides
The local community action agency.
Ask your social worker
“Can you tell me which community action agency covers our town, so I can ask for fuel and electric assistance?”

How to apply

First step: Find the community action agency for your town and apply for fuel and electric assistance together.

  1. Apply at the local community action agency and ask for the electric discount as well as fuel.
  2. Ask when payments open: the application says generally December 1.

Official application / program page ↗

Where it starts: Apply at the community action agency for your area and ask for both fuel and electric assistance.

What to gather

  • This month's income for everyone at home
  • A recent heating bill
  • A recent electric bill

How long: Applications run into the spring; payments generally open in December.

What a yes looks like

A payment towards the heating bill and a discount showing on the electric bill.

What a no looks like, and the next move

A no on income. Ask for the current season's table and reapply if pay drops.

Watch out

  • Fuel and electric are two separate applications at the same office; ask for both.
  • The posted income table carries last season's label; treat the line as uncertain and apply anyway.
  • Payments generally do not open until December even when the form went in earlier.

Dates that change this

2026-09-10: The posted income table is labelled the 2025-2026 program year on the same page as an April 30, 2027 deadline. The current season's table was not published, so the ceilings shown here are the last posted ones and the exact line is uncertain. (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 seasonal payment towards heating, and an electric discount of between 5 and 86 percent. The last posted income ceilings run from $4,059 a month for one person to $10,305 for six.

  • $4,059/month — Last posted monthly income ceiling, household of 1
  • $5,309/month — Last posted monthly income ceiling, household of 2
  • $6,558/month — Last posted monthly income ceiling, household of 3
  • $7,807/month — Last posted monthly income ceiling, household of 4
  • $9,056/month — Last posted monthly income ceiling, household of 5
  • $10,305/month — Last posted monthly income ceiling, household of 6
  • $5/month — Smallest published electric discount
  • $86/month — Largest published electric discount

Covers: A payment towards heating fuel, gas or electric heat · A monthly percentage discount on the electric bill

What it costs the family: None.

The eligibility facts, as published

Income
the last posted monthly ceilings, households 1 to 6; the current season's table was not published
Utilities
the electric discount is published for Eversource, Liberty Utilities, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative and Unitil
Bill windows
delivered fuel bills from October 1 to April 30; electric and gas heating bills from November 1

The trap: The two programmes are separate applications at the same office. Ask for both. Payments generally do not start until December even where the application went in earlier.

Where I read this

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