Where this sits: Benefits › Programs › Energy Assistance. Related: SNAP, Emergency Assistance.
Ask first
Household size and income. Who the utility is: a public utility, a co-op or a municipal utility.
Also: is there a shutoff notice, and when is the date?
What it pays
The Energy Assistance Program is free. It sends a payment directly to the household's utility or fuel provider (including propane, fuel oil or wood). First payments average $500 and can be up to $1,400, and there is additional help for emergencies; what counts and how much it pays is not known to this site. It is federally funded and run by the Department of Commerce with local service providers. Weatherization, its companion program, gives free energy upgrades to income-eligible owners and renters (insulation, air sealing, furnace or water heater repair or replacement); the two share one application.
Who qualifies
Renters and homeowners, by income and household size. Commerce's example (page saved 2026-10-31): a family of four earning up to $73,969 a year can qualify. Federal law lets states serve households with someone on MFIP, SSI, SNAP or certain veterans' pensions, or with income up to the greater of 150% of the poverty guidelines or 60% of state median income, and a state can't turn away a household under 110% on income alone. Which options Minnesota uses, and its exact limit, are not known to this site; ask the local provider for the current rules.
How to apply
- Apply online at the Energy Assistance application, or request a paper application by mail.
- Or contact the local service provider for the county (usually the community action agency) or the Tribal government's program.
- For help finding the provider: Commerce Energy Information Center, 1-800-657-3710.
- Deadline for the 2026-2027 winter: May 31, 2027.
Shutoffs and other programs
- Cold Weather Rule: from October 1 to April 30, a public utility can't shut off, and must reconnect, heating service for a customer at or below 50% of state median income who sets up and keeps a payment agreement. The utility can't require more than 10% of household income toward heating bills. People getting energy assistance from a program whose limit is 50% of state median income or less are automatically eligible for this protection. Co-ops and municipal utilities have their own cold weather law with different conditions.
- SNAP leads to Energy Assistance: being eligible for SNAP, even for $0, can make a household eligible.
- Energy Assistance raises SNAP for some: more than $20 of energy assistance in the past year gives SNAP's higher utility deduction, but since November 2025 only for households with an elderly or disabled member.
- County emergency help: county Emergency Assistance and Emergency General Assistance can also help with a utility shutoff.
For the 2026-2027 season, states that base their limits on the poverty guidelines or state median income use the 2026 figures.
Not covered here
Minnesota's exact income limits and benefit amounts, emergency and furnace repair help, Weatherization in detail, and utility discount programs.