Heating bill assistance available through two programs

VW independent staff/submitted information

Help is available for lower income households struggling to pay heating bills.

Ohio’s Winter Crisis Program is a special component of the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) and is administered by community action agencies throughout Ohio, including the Northwestern Ohio Community Action Commission, which serves Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Paulding, Van Wert and Williams counties, and can be found online at nocac.org.

Heating assistance for income eligible Ohioans available November 1 through May 1, 2026.

Ohioans with a household income at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines that are facing disconnection, have been disconnected or have less than a 25 percent supply of bulk fuel in their tank are eligible for the program.

For households with more than seven members, contact your local Energy Assistance Provider. 

A household applying for HEAP must report total gross household income for the past 30 days (12 months preferred) for all members, except wage or salary income earned by dependent minors under 18 years old. Both homeowners and renters are eligible for assistance.

Individuals will need to have copies of the following documents to include with their application:

• Most recent utility bills.
• A list of all household members (including birth dates and social security numbers).
• Proof of income for the past 30 days for all household members (12 months for certain income types).
• Proof of U.S. citizenship or legal residency for all household members. · Proof of disability (if applicable).
• HEAP benefits are applied to an individual’s energy bill after January 1.

Anyone needing immediate assistance with energy bills should contact their local energy assistance provider. A list of providers can be found at energyhelp.ohio.gov.

In addition, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio’s Special Reconnect Order is in effect for the upcoming winter heating season. The Special Reconnect Order helps Ohioans served by PUCO-regulated utilities reconnect or maintain electric and natural gas service during the winter heating season between now through April 15, 2026. 

Any residential customer of a PUCO-regulated electric or natural gas company may take advantage of the provisions contained in the order once per winter heating season. Last winter heating season, more than 204,107 Ohioans used the Special Reconnect Order.   

Under the Special Reconnect Order, customers must pay the utility no more than $175 plus any applicable reconnection charge which cannot exceed $36. If the utility’s reconnect charge is greater than $36, the balance above $36 may be charged to customer on the customer’s next monthly bill.    

The Special Reconnect Order also applies to customers seeking to establish new electric or natural gas service provided they are served by PUCO-regulated utilities. Rather than paying the full security deposit that may be required for new service, customers can pay up to $175 and the balance above $175 may be charged to the customer on the customer’s next monthly bill.    

There is no income eligibility requirement to use the Special Reconnect Order.