How Minnesota's Energy Assistance Program works — a guide to help with heating bills and furnace repairs
Minnesota winters are long, and for households living on a limited income the heating bill can become the hardest one to cover. The Energy Assistance Program — Minnesota's version of the federal LIHEAP — exists to help with that, and it does more than put money toward a bill. It can step in during an emergency and even pay to fix or replace a furnace that has quit.
What follows lays out what the program provides, how the free weatherization that comes with it works, who tends to qualify, and how to apply now that Minnesota has moved the application online.
- SCAM WARNING: The LIHEAP (EAP) program tends to draw more people, or even businesses, which try to defraud struggling people. Be mindful of this and read our fraud section below about the EAP program.
The heating bill grant
The core of the program is a grant toward your home heating costs. The money does not come to you — it goes onto your account at your utility or fuel supplier, lowering the balance you have to pay. The amount is set for your household based on things like your income, how many people live with you, the kind of home you have, and what it cost to heat it last season, so the help is largest for the households that need it most.
It helps to know what the grant is not: it is one-time help for the season, not a payment of your whole heating cost. You are still responsible for keeping up with your bills, but the grant can help pay a portion of the bill.
If your heat is already off, or about to be
If you have lost heat or are close to it — your fuel has run out, your service is being disconnected, or your heating system has failed — the program has a crisis part built to move quickly. When you apply, say plainly that you have no heat, or hand over your shut-off notice, and your application is often prioritized to the front of the line. This is the program that keeps families from spending a Minnesota cold snap without heat.
Repair or replacement of a broken furnace
For homeowners, the program can go past the bill and deal with the heating system itself. If your furnace or other heating equipment breaks down, Energy Assistance may pay to repair it, and when a repair no longer makes sense, to replace it. This part is for owner-occupied homes that qualify, and it can spare you a repair bill that would otherwise be impossible to absorb in the middle of winter.
How the program is run, and the way to apply
The Energy Assistance Program is run by the Minnesota Department of Commerce and delivered through local service providers — usually a community action agency — in each part of the state. Minnesota has added an online application that lets you apply and upload your documents from home instead of mailing everything in, which also tends to move faster. The same application covers weatherization, so you are considered for both at once.
Who the program is for
Eligibility comes down to your household's income and the number of people in it, and both renters and homeowners can apply. What you own does not count against you — the value of your home or your car is not part of the decision, only income. Because funding is limited and the season has an end date, applying earlier in the heating season gives you a better chance, and the sooner a complete application is in, the sooner any grant reaches your account.
Free weatherization: a lasting cut to your heating costs
A grant from EAP helps with one season; weatherization changes what your home costs to heat every season after. It is a free service for income-eligible households, and one detail surprises many people: your income can be a little too high for the heating grant and you may still qualify for weatherization.
It begins with an energy audit. A crew goes through your home to pinpoint where heat is slipping out and where the heating system could run more safely and efficiently, then tailors the work to what they find.
For most Minnesota homes that means going after air leaks — sealing the bypasses and gaps that let warm air escape, caulking around windows, and adding insulation in the attic and outside walls to hold the heat in. The crew can also test your furnace and, when it is warranted, tune it, fix it, or replace it outright.
Renters and homeowners can both benefit. Priority goes to households that include an older adult, a person with a disability, or young children, as well as those receiving aid like Supplemental Security Income or family cash assistance. You also come away with practical tips for keeping your usage, and your bills, down.
Avoiding energy assistance scams
Free government help draws scammers, in particular the LIHEAP / EAP program, so it is worth knowing one thing about how this program pays. Energy Assistance grants go straight to your utility or fuel company — never to you in cash or a deposit. So if someone contacts you saying they will send your energy assistance money to your bank account, and asks for your account or routing number to do it, that is a scam. The same is true of anyone charging a fee to fill out or speed up your application, because applying is free. When in doubt, go through your local service provider or the statewide number below, and never give your banking details to someone who reached out to you first.
Where to apply, and what to bring
You can apply online through the Department of Commerce at https://mn.gov/commerce/energy/consumer-assistance/energy-assistance-program/, or on paper through the local service provider for your county. To start either way, or to find your local agency, call the statewide Energy Assistance line at 1-800-657-3710.
Gathering your paperwork first will move things along: proof of income for everyone in the household, identification, and your most recent heating and electric bills, plus a disconnection notice if you have received one. You can also find the provider nearest you through a community action agency in Minnesota.
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