Duke Energy covers the Cincinnati area and Northern KY, but the bill help splits by state
Duke Energy is the electric and natural gas company for the Cincinnati area — a group of counties in southwest Ohio and the Northern Kentucky counties across the river. One company runs both sides, but the assistance programs split by state. This page is a plain-English guide to all of it: the Share the Light Fund and Duke's own payment plans, which work in both states, Ohio's Percentage of Income Payment Plan and winter reconnect option, and the Kentucky programs that run through the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, with the government HEAP and LIHEAP money for each state linked along the way.
The state line matters here in a way it doesn't most places, since plenty of people live on one side of the river and work on the other. What's available depends on the state where you live, so this page starts with the help that works everywhere, then covers each state separately.
Duke's payment options and the Share the Light Fund work in both states
Start with what a phone call to Duke can do. An installment plan splits a past-due balance into equal monthly amounts added to your regular bill, with nothing required up front. A due date extension moves one bill's due date back several business days if you ask before it goes past due. Once a shutoff date exists, a disconnect date extension can add up to about two weeks.
Because Duke supplies both electricity and natural gas in this region, most households have one account and one bill, and these arrangements cover the whole thing. Budget Billing averages the year into a steadier monthly amount, and Pick Your Due Date moves your due date to match when your paycheck or benefits arrive.
The Share the Light Fund is Duke's donation-based emergency fund. Duke, its foundation, its employees, and other customers pay into it, and local agencies use it to cover past-due balances, deposits, and reconnection charges for households that qualify. Which agency hands out the money differs by state, which is what the two sections below sort out — or use the Payment Assistance Finder on Duke's Share the Light page at https://www.duke-energy.com/home/billing/special-assistance/share-the-light to get the answer for your county.
Ohio: PIPP, the winter reconnect option, and the Salvation Army
The biggest ongoing help on the Ohio side is the Percentage of Income Payment Plan, called PIPP. Instead of the actual bill, you pay a set share of your monthly household income, with the share depending on how your home is heated. Ohio requires its regulated utilities to offer this plan, and it covers both the electric and gas sides of a Duke bill.
Paying on time does more than keep you current. Each month a PIPP payment arrives on time and in full, part of the old balance and the rest of that month's real bill are erased as credits, so a household that sticks with it can watch a large debt disappear completely. You apply and requalify through Ohio's energy assistance system — online at https://jfs.ohio.gov/public-assistance/energy-and-community-assistance or through your local community action agency (see the Ohio community action page on this site) — and the income limit is tied to the federal poverty guidelines.
Ohio also has a winter tool with no income test at all. Each heating season, which runs roughly mid-fall through mid-spring, the state's utility commission issues an order letting any residential customer pay one set amount to stop a disconnection, get reconnected, or start new service without paying the full deposit. The amount is announced each fall, it can be used once per heating season, and whatever balance remains goes onto a payment plan with Duke.
Two more Ohio rules are worth using. If your income qualifies, the HEAP Winter Crisis Program can pay that reconnect amount for you. And once a PIPP or HEAP application is pending, the utility has to hold off disconnection for about a month while it's processed.
Share the Light money in Ohio goes out through The Salvation Army, which handles the southwest Ohio counties Duke serves. The government side — the HEAP heating benefit, the Winter and Summer Crisis programs, and free weatherization — has its own rules and seasons, all explained on our Ohio HEAP page.
Kentucky: almost everything runs through the community action agency
On the Kentucky side, one organization handles most of the help: the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, which takes applications at its neighborhood centers around the region. See the guide to help from Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission. If you remember the old WinterCare fund, its work is done today by the programs below.
The Home Energy Assistance program, a partnership between Duke and Kentucky's community action network, has two parts. The subsidy part puts a monthly credit on a qualifying household's Duke account during the coldest and hottest months of the year. The crisis part makes a payment for an active Duke customer who is past due or close to disconnection, and it runs during the winter on a first-come basis until the money is gone.
Share the Light works in Kentucky too, through the same agency, and it can pay a past-due balance, a deposit, or a reconnection charge. A household can ask about both programs in the same appointment.
Bring paperwork to that appointment. The agency asks for photo identification, proof of income for the household, a current Duke bill, and Social Security cards for everyone in the home, including children. Missing documents are the usual reason an application stalls.
Two smaller programs come and go with funding, so ask what's open when you call: Payment Plus, which gives bill credits to people who complete budget counseling and energy education, and a maintenance program that helps older and disabled homeowners keep heating and cooling equipment running. During the winter months, Kentucky also has a certificate-of-need process through community action that can hold off a disconnection while help is arranged. The government money — Kentucky's LIHEAP subsidy and crisis programs and free weatherization — is covered on our Kentucky LIHEAP page.
Free weatherization help exists on both sides of the river
Duke runs an income-qualified weatherization program in this region with the nonprofit People Working Cooperatively, covering work like insulation and heating system repairs at no cost. In certain selected neighborhoods, the Neighborhood Energy Saver program installs energy-saving improvements free for homeowners and renters. Both depend on where you live and what's funded at the moment, so ask Duke or the agency handling your application what your address qualifies for. The state weatherization programs, which are separate and larger, are on the Ohio and Kentucky pages linked above.
Watch for scams - including fake utility workers at the door
Because Duke supplies gas here, one scam to know about uses a gas excuse. Someone in work clothes says there's been gas work in the area and asks to come inside to check your meter or your lines — then one person keeps you talking while another looks for cash and valuables. Real Duke employees carry company identification, inside work is almost always scheduled ahead of time, and nothing about a bill or a payment ever requires letting someone into your home. If you didn't expect the visit, keep the door closed and call the number on your bill to ask whether anyone was sent.
If you're not sure where to start: on the Ohio side, apply for PIPP and HEAP together through energyhelp.ohio.gov or your community action agency, since one application process reaches both. On the Kentucky side, call the community action commission and ask for an energy assistance appointment. Either way, if a shutoff date is already set, call Duke first and ask for a disconnect date extension so the help has time to come through.
This page provides general educational information about assistance programs for Duke Energy customers in Ohio and Kentucky. It is not legal or financial advice. Program rules, funding, and administering agencies change over time and differ between the two states. Confirm current details with Duke Energy, the Ohio Department of Development, the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, or your local agency before making decisions based on this information.
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