Help for Kansans behind on a Black Hills Energy gas bill
Black Hills Energy sells natural gas to more than a hundred thousand homes and businesses in dozens of Kansas communities, including Lawrence, Emporia, Junction City, Dodge City, Garden City, and Liberal. If you are a customer and cannot pay your gas bill, there is more than one kind of help which this guide covers, and some of it comes from outside the company.
Black Hills runs its own charity fund, called Black Hills Cares, which pays grants through the Salvation Army and Warm Hearts of Douglas County. The state runs LIEAP, a once-a-year heating benefit. Kansas law gives you the Cold Weather Rule, which blocks winter shutoffs and requires a 12-month payment plan. And the company itself offers payment arrangements, Budget Billing, and a Medical Extension Program for households where someone's health depends on the gas staying on.
Whatever your situation, call Black Hills at 888-890-5554 before the bill becomes a disconnection notice. The arrangements the company can offer depend partly on how early you ask.
Grants from Black Hills Cares
Black Hills Cares is funded by donations from customers and employees, and the company matches every dollar through its charitable foundation. The money pays past-due Black Hills Energy bills and other energy emergencies for customers who qualify based on need.
Black Hills does not hand out this money itself. In Kansas, the Salvation Army distributes Cares funds across most of the service area through its HeatShare heating assistance work, and Warm Hearts of Douglas County takes applications from customers in and around Lawrence. Dial 211 to reach the right agency for your county or see the NHPB Salvation Army page for Kansas programs.
Because the fund depends on donations, money may not be available at all times, and it can run low late in the winter when the most people apply. If the agency for your area has nothing left, 211 may be able to point you to other local charities.
LIEAP pays part of the heating bill
The Low Income Energy Assistance Program, called LIEAP in Kansas, is a once-a-year benefit that helps with home heating costs. The Kansas Department for Children and Families runs it, not Black Hills, and eligibility is based on your income and household size. Applications are only accepted during a window in the winter, and the benefit is normally paid straight to your gas company. Our guide to Kansas LIEAP and free weatherization explains who qualifies and how to apply.
The Cold Weather Rule and its 12-month payment plan
Black Hills Energy is regulated by the Kansas Corporation Commission, so the state's Cold Weather Rule applies to it. From the start of November through the end of March, the company cannot shut off your gas when the local forecast calls for temperatures below 35 degrees at any point in the next 48 hours.
The rule does more than stop shutoffs on cold days. While it is in effect, Black Hills must offer any residential customer with a past-due balance a 12-month payment plan. To start it, you pay one-twelfth of what you owe, one-twelfth of your current bill, plus any disconnection or reconnection fees and any deposit the company requires. The rest is divided into equal payments over the next eleven months, and you keep paying each new bill as it arrives.
You have to call and ask, because the plan is not automatic. Timing matters too. Once the rule ends in the spring, Black Hills can require the full past-due balance before reconnecting service, so it is worth setting up the plan while the rule is still active. The Kansas Corporation Commission explains the full rule on its website at https://www.kcc.ks.gov/consumer-information/cold-weather-rule.
Payment arrangements and Budget Billing
Outside of the Cold Weather Rule, Black Hills offers payment arrangements all year. The terms depend on your balance, your payment history, and the time of year, so you will need to call 888-890-5554 or set one up through your online account.
Budget Billing is free and averages your payments so you pay about the same amount every month, instead of high bills in winter and low ones in summer. It does not lower what you owe. It just makes the amount predictable, which helps when your income is the same each month.
Extra time when gas service is medically essential
If a licensed physician certifies that losing gas service could cause death or a serious medical problem requiring hospitalization for someone in your home, Black Hills offers a Medical Extension Program. Qualifying households get a limited amount of extra time to pay before service is interrupted. It is an extension, not forgiveness, so use that time to apply for LIEAP or Cares funds and to set up a payment plan.
Watch out for fake discount and government grant offers
Kansas utility regulators have warned about scammers who contact customers and offer to enroll them in a bill discount program. The person calls, texts, or knocks on the door claiming to work for the gas company or a partner agency, then asks for your account number, your Social Security number, or a small enrollment fee.
Black Hills Energy does not contact people to sign them up for discounts, and none of the real programs on this page charge anything to apply. If someone offers you a discount you never asked about, hang up or close the door, then call the number printed on your bill to check your account.
This page is general educational information, not legal or financial advice. Program details and rules change, so confirm current information with Black Hills Energy, the agency involved, or the Kansas Corporation Commission before making decisions about your bills.
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