Alabama LIHEAP covers heating, summer cooling, and free weatherization
In Alabama, LIHEAP runs twice a year. There is a heating round through the fall and winter, and a separate cooling round through the late spring and summer, because Alabama summers push power bills as high as any winter. This page covers all parts of the programs. LIHEAP also processes crisis cases — a shutoff notice, broken air conditioner, an empty propane tank — ahead of routine applications, and it connects to free weatherization work that lowers the bills for good.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs runs the program statewide, but ADECA itself never takes an application. Every application goes through the community action agency covering your county, and that same agency handles the crisis help and the weatherization program. Finding yours is the first step for everything on this page.
- SCAM WARNING: LIHEAP faces scams when it comes to applying. There are impostor text and phishing scams, Door-to-Door con artists and other tactics people use, as documented below. There is only one official application process.
Heating help and cooling help are separate applications
The heating round covers the cost of staying warm — electric heat, gas, propane, wood, whatever the home runs on — and takes applications from fall into spring. The cooling round is its own program with its own application, open from late spring through the end of summer, aimed at the power bill the air conditioner drives up.
Each season stands on its own, so getting help in one does not shut you out of applying when the other opens. Every round has limited money that goes out while it lasts, and people who apply as soon as a round opens do better than people who wait.
The payment goes straight to the power company or fuel supplier and shows up as a credit on the account. Amounts differ by household, based on income, household size, and energy costs, with the program aimed hardest at the lowest incomes — and extra attention for homes with older adults, people with disabilities, and young children.
A crisis application gets priority
If the power is about to be cut off or already is, if the heating or cooling system is broken, or if the fuel tank is nearly empty, say so when you contact the agency. Alabama handles emergencies by processing that household's benefit through on a faster clock, and the payment is calculated to the smallest amount that keeps service on. Bring the disconnection notice, because that piece of paper is what proves the emergency.
The state also gives added priority to households hit by a declared disaster, homes with a child under 18, and anyone whose medical condition would make the weather a danger to their health.
Where to apply: the agency for your county
A network of community action agencies divides Alabama's 67 counties among them, and where you live decides which one is yours. ADECA's LIHEAP page at https://adeca.alabama.gov/liheap/ lists the agencies and their counties, and our guide to Alabama community action agencies covers them too. Some agencies take applications online or through their own apps, while others work by appointment or walk-in, so the process looks a little different from county to county.
Bring a recent power or gas bill, photo ID, Social Security information for the people in the home, and proof of income for everyone living there. Agencies look at the household's income for the month before the application, so recent pay stubs count for more than last year's tax return.
Weatherization makes the house cheaper to heat and cool
The Alabama Weatherization Assistance Program fixes the house instead of the bill. It starts with an energy audit by trained professionals, and the work that follows can include sealing air leaks, insulating the attic, walls, and floors, sealing duct work, and repairing or replacing a heater that is broken or unsafe, along with health and safety checks. All of it is free for the household.
ADECA delivers the program through the same community action agencies plus a regional commission serving part of central Alabama, reaching every county in the state. The income ceiling sits higher than LIHEAP's, so a household that just misses LIHEAP can still qualify here, and anyone receiving SSI or TANF is automatically eligible. Details and the county-by-county contact map are on ADECA's weatherization page at https://adeca.alabama.gov/weatherization/.
Qualified households go on a waiting list ranked by priority points, and age, disability, children in the home, and heavy energy use all move a household up. Homeowners show proof of ownership, and renters need the landlord's written agreement before crews start work. Homes that get weatherized often need less bill help the next season, which is the whole idea.
When a LIHEAP application period runs out of money
Funds do run out, and the agency will tell you when one has. Ask that same agency what else it offers — many run separate utility funds, including money from the ABC Trust created by Alabama Power's stockholders, and some know of church or county funds nearby. Alabama Power customers should also read our page on Alabama Power assistance programs for the company's own options, and calling 211 remains the quickest way to hear what is active in your area this month.
Be wary of scams - No one can sell you an appointment
hen the cooling round opens and demand surges, people appear on social media and in parking lots claiming they can reserve you an appointment or a place on the list for cash. Community action agencies do not sell appointments, and nobody who works for one collects money from applicants — the application is free and the help is free. If someone wants payment to get you LIHEAP faster, keep your money and report it to the agency.
This page provides general educational information about the Alabama Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, including heating, cooling, and crisis assistance, and the Alabama Weatherization Assistance Program. It is not legal or financial advice. Income limits, benefit amounts, and season dates are set each program year and may differ from what is described here. Confirm current details with ADECA or your local community action agency before applying.
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