Worried about your heating bills this winter? See if you qualify for federal heating assistance.

Applications are pouring into the state’s energy assistance program as temperatures plunge and Minnesotans fire up their heating systems for the winter.

About 70,000 households have applied for energy assistance this fall, according to Michael Schmitz, director of the Office of Energy Assistance at the Department of Commerce. The state agency runs the federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. The state began processing applications October 1, and experts say that Minnesotans who think they qualify should apply as soon as possible.

“It’s important for Minnesotans to take action now to stay safe and warm,” Schmitz said.

Nearly 130,000 Minnesota households have received energy assistance in the past year, receiving an average of $736, according to the Department of Commerce. The program processes applications between October and May. Households are eligible based on income; this year, individuals making $35,800 or less and families of four earning $68,845 or less qualify.

Applications are available online, via mail and at local energy assistance service providers, which are typically Community Action Partnership (CAP) agencies that administer the program. The state has application forms in English, Hmong, Spanish, Somali and Vietnamese.

‘They were there for me’

Nasro Ahmed has used energy assistance off and on in recent years depending on her needs and income level. She cares for her son, who has autism, which results in frequent changes to the amount she’s able to work.

She was out of work a few years ago and worried about covering the energy bills at the St. Paul townhome she rented, which approached $200 a month in the winter. She found help at the Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington counties, which process energy assistance applications.

“They were there for me,” Nasro said.

She didn’t need assistance last year, but she applied again this fall due to changing circumstances in her life, including the purchase of a new home. She feels understood and appreciated by the staff at the CAP agency.

Even if people work, they might still need help, Nasro said. She encourages her neighbors and friends in the Somali community to apply if they qualify.

Sandra Pyles is in her 29th year working with the federal assistance program, but is new to Minnesota. She moved from Ohio, and now leads the Ramsey-Washington Community Action Partnership energy assistance program.

Pyles has been struck by the east metro’s diversity, which applies to both residents and staff members at the agency. The energy assistance staff has people who speak several languages to assist residents interested in the program.

The energy assistance program offers two benefits. The primary benefit is a one-time payment for power bills that is usually made directly from the program to a client’s utility provider for up to $600. The program also has crisis benefits up to an additional $600 to help in emergency situations like when a utility company disconnects heating in a home.

Households on energy assistance also qualify for free replacement furnaces if their heating system fails in the winter.

“That is such a huge deal,” Pyles said.

Technological improvements

Minnesota’s energy assistance program has been bolstered by new technology upgrades that are making it easier for people to apply, and for agencies to process applications.

The state is in its second year accepting online applications, a process that can be done on a smartphone or computer in a matter of minutes. The result is more applications from younger, more diverse residents, according to Rachel Landreau, energy assistance program manager for the Community Action Partnership of Scott, Carver and Dakota counties.

“I do think our applicants are a bit younger than they were before, and I think that’s attributed to the online application,” Landreau said.

For the first time this year, CAP agencies across the state can access Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) data to verify a client’s income eligibility in a few clicks. An application that used to take half an hour to process can now be completed in about seven minutes, Landreau said.

”Having access to DEED has absolutely changed the game,” she said.

Applications encouraged

Applications are coming in fast, and the 70,000 applications the state has received represent about half the total it anticipates, Schmitz said.

The CAP agencies serving Ramsey-Washington and Scott, Carver and Dakota counties are seeing that, too. Scott, Carver and Dakota counties have already received about 4,000 applications, which Landreau said is unprecedented.

“We are getting absolutely slammed this year,” Landreau said.

Applications are streaming in, but only about a quarter of eligible households apply for energy assistance in any given year. Roughly 465,000 households in the state are eligible for energy assistance, but only around 130,000 applications are anticipated this year, Schmitz said.

The state and local CAP agencies try to encourage people to apply for benefits, but there can be stigmas that prevent people from submitting applications, Landreau said. But the worst case scenario is that people get rejected because they earn too much money. She believes that once people apply and use the service, they realize it’s not intimidating.

“It’s really satisfying when new applicants do come back the following year, and they tell us it actually wasn’t that hard, or that scary,” Landreau said.

Submitting applications early is a good way to ensure households get help. Minnesotans are protected from having their utilities shut off in the winter by the Cold Weather Rule, which makes it illegal for companies to disconnect customers from October through April; but the rule does require that households come up with a payment plan.

This year, the Cold Weather Rule is bolstered by a new state law requiring landlords to maintain a minimum temperature of 68 degrees in rental properties starting October 1.

The state and CAP agencies stress the importance of having proper income verification information for applicants, which will make the process faster. People should be patient when applying, and make arrangements with their utility company to be protected by the Cold Weather Rule, Pyles said. Agencies can get backed up when applications come in, but every application will be reviewed.

“We will get to it,” Pyles said.

Signing up for energy assistance is also the first step for qualifying for weatherization assistance, a program that helps upgrade homes to protect against weather, leading to lower power bills and less need for energy assistance. In 2023, 1,371 households in Minnesota received weatherization upgrades through the federally funded program, according to the commerce department.

The state keeps data on households served by energy assistance by race. Native Americans on average pay the most in energy bills and receive the most money in energy assistance. This is largely due to living in rural communities in northern Minnesota that rely on expensive heat fuels such as propane.

The greatest indicator of the need for energy assistance is income level, Schmitz said. Minnesota has high income disparities by race, with Black households more than three times as likely as white households to live in poverty, according to DEED statistics. Overall, about 9 percent of Minnesotans live in poverty.

“That’s the norm for an unacceptably high number of people throughout Minnesota,” Schmitz said.

How to apply

• Minnesotans who think they may qualify for energy assistance can apply online through the Department of Commerce website. You can also request an application by mail by filling out this form online.
• The state has PDFs of the application in English, Hmong, Spanish, Somali and Vietnamese that can be downloaded and either be printed and mailed, or filled out and emailed.
• Local providers, like Community Action Partnership agencies, can help with questions about the application and assist with translation. CAP agencies can accept physical and e-mailed PDF applications. Find your local CAP agency using this website.
• Applicants must fill out the entire application, especially income information.