Washington program
Help with a heating or electric bill (energy assistance)
A grant toward a home energy bill through your county’s agency. Whether it is open now and what you would get depends on the local season and funding.
What it is
A grant toward a home energy bill through your county’s agency. Whether it is open now and what you would get depends on the local season and funding.
Energy assistance is a grant toward a home energy bill. The statewide screen is 150% of poverty, but the county agency uses its own season, income period and funding, so only it can say. Worth one call if an energy bill is a strain, and an urgent call if a shutoff notice arrives.
Eligibility rules
- At or under 150% of the federal poverty level, on the agency’s income period, not annual income divided by 12.
- Program year October 1 to September 30, but intake differs by agency. Hopelink’s 2025–26 season is closed and scheduling resumes November 2, 2026; Byrd Barr Place had an August 21, 2026 deadline. Crisis funding is not guaranteed year-round.
- Funding and appointment availability can limit access.
What you get
- A one-time grant toward the energy bill if approved and funded.
- Crisis screening for an urgent utility problem.
- Other local utility grants the agency may know about.
What it is not
- Not an ongoing promise to pay every bill, and not a way to stop a disconnection by itself.
If you decide to apply
- Find the agency for your address: Byrd Barr Place for Seattle, Hopelink for north and east King County, Multi-Service Center for south King County. Ask what is open now.
- Ask about crisis help and other utility grants available locally.
- Have the account number, recent bills, income records and any shutoff notice ready.
Washington Commerce: energy assistance · Official page ↗
After you apply
- The agency confirms the season’s income table and the amount; ask when the grant would post to the account.
Good to know
Applying does not stop a disconnection. If a shutoff is coming, call the utility today and see the medical-hold card under “For when a problem comes up.”
Other details
- A statewide income estimate does not establish local eligibility.
Federal background: LIHEAP.
Official sources
“Which local energy-assistance program is taking applications or crisis requests now, and is our income in range?”
Why I’m asking: We want help keeping essential utilities on.
More background and detailed requirements
How this could help
This is assistance with an energy bill, not a new insurance benefit or an ongoing promise to pay every bill. The award depends on your household and the program’s calculation. Local agencies may offer other utility assistance too.
If a shutoff notice has arrived, tell the agency and the utility immediately. Ask separately about a medical emergency hold if losing service would endanger your child; applying for energy assistance does not itself stop disconnection.
What to know before you apply
- The local agency must confirm the season’s income table and income assessment period. Do not treat a statewide 150%-of-poverty estimate as a personalized current eligibility result.
- Funding and appointment availability can limit access.
- Have the energy account number, recent bills, income information and any shutoff notice ready.
Your next steps
- Contact the energy-assistance agency serving your county using the official state program page.
- Ask about an application appointment, crisis help and other utility grants available locally.
at or under 150% of the federal poverty level
October 1 to September 30
Washington
Additional program information and published rules
Who does what
The three parts, side by side. The agency decides; nobody on this page does.
You
Book the appointment and bring the bill.
Your social worker
The agency pays the grant onto the energy account.
The care team
Nothing.
- Who decides
- The local community-action agency.
- Ask your social worker
- “Could you connect us with the local energy-assistance agency and any crisis help for this bill?”
How to apply
First step: Contact the energy-assistance agency serving your county using the official state program page.
- Find your county's agency on the Commerce page and book early in the season.
- Take the most recent energy bill and this month's income.
Official application / program page ↗
Where it starts: Call your county's community-action agency for an appointment; the Department of Commerce page lists them.
What to gather
- The most recent energy bill
- This month's income
- Who lives at home
How long: Set by the local agency; there is no published statewide clock.
What a yes looks like
A credit on the energy account.
What a no looks like, and the next move
If the season has closed, ask to be told when it reopens and about crisis help in the meantime.
Watch out
- The season runs October to September, but local appointments are not open all year.
- It is a county agency, not a state office, so the phone number is local.
Dates that change this
2026-09-10: The current statewide dollar table and the season opening dates were not published when this was checked; the percentage is the published standard.
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% of the federal poverty level.
- $150/year — Share of the poverty level used as the income standard
Covers: A grant paid toward the energy account
What it costs the family: Nothing.
The eligibility facts, as published
- Income
- at or under 150% of the federal poverty level
- Programme year
- October 1 to September 30
- Residency
- Washington
Decisions this site cannot make: Local agency eligibility decision
Expect friction on: Getting an appointment in season
The trap: The programme year running from October to September does not mean your local agency takes appointments all year. Call the agency in your county early in the season. This research could not retrieve the current statewide dollar table, so the figure here is the published percentage applied to the poverty line.
Where I read this
- Washington Commerce: Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program — Washington State Department of Commerce, read September 10, 2026