Keep Warm in Massachusetts

Need help paying your heating bills?

IMPORTANT COVID-19 ADJUSTMENT TO OPERATIONS

All Fuel Assistance Agencies are waiving the face to face requirement to apply.  Apply online now.   

Scroll down to find your agency.

New applicants welcome. 

Winters are harsh! You work hard. Heat is expensive. The cost of staying safe and warm can be too much. There is help available to pay your heating bills through the Home Energy Assistance Program (also commonly referred to as Fuel Assistance, and more formally known as  LIHEAP – the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program).

LIHEAP provides eligible households with help in paying a portion of their winter heating bills. Currently, the program is funded by the federal government through the Office of Community Services (OCS), Division of Energy Assistance (DEA). The program is managed by the MA Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) in conjunction with over 20 Community Action Agencies, other regional non-profits and local government agencies.

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What is Fuel Assistance?

The fuel assistance program is a critically important federally-funded initiative that helps to protect public health and safety by ensuring that lower income families and individuals have safe access to home heating fuels that will keep them warm in the winter.

Who Can Apply?

Homeowners and renters are eligible – including households whose cost of heat is included in the rent and not subsidized.

Do I Qualify?

Eligibility is based on household size and the gross annual income of every household member over the age of 18. Household income cannot exceed 60% of estimated State Median Income (view eligibility chart). If you are not sure, call your local agency. There are other funds available to help you save on heating costs.

Fuel Assistance Income Eligibility Levels

Household SizeGross Annual Income4 Week Gross Income
(if paid once per month)		4 Week Gross Income
(if paid weekly or bi-weekly)
1$40,951$3,412$3,150
2$53,551$4,462$4,119
3$66,151$5,512$5,088
4$78,751$6,562$6,057
5$91,351$7,612$7,027
6$103,951$8,662$7,996
7$106,314$8,859$8,178
8$108,676$9,056$8,359

Where Should I Apply?

At the Fuel Assistance Agency in your Area Heating Help: Massachusetts Fuel Assistance & Energy Efficiency ()

NameCityPhone NumberWebsiteApply Online
Action for Boston Community Development, Inc. (ABCD)Boston, Brookline, Everett, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Newton, Stoneham, West Roxbury, Winchester, Woburn,617.357.6012https://bostonabcd.org/service/fuel-assistance-2/https://toapply.org/ABCD
Action, Inc. (Action)Essex, Gloucester, Hamilton, Ipswich, Manchester, Rockport, Wenham,978-281-3900https://actioninc.org/energy/fuel-assistance/https://toapply.org/Action
Berkshire Community Action Council, Inc. (BCAC)Adams, Alford, Becket, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Dalton, Egremont, Florida, Great Barrington, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mt. Washington, New Ashford, New Marlborough, North Adams, Otis, Peru, Pittsfield, Richmond, Sandisfield, Savoy, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, West Stockbridge, Williamstown, Windsor,(413) 445-4503https://bcacinc.org/fuel-assistance/https://toapply.org/BCAC
Citizens for Citizens, Inc. (CFC)Berkley, Dighton, Fall River, Freetown, Lakeville, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Somerset, Swansea, Taunton, Westport,(508) 679-0041http://cfcinc.org/programs/fuel-assistance-program/ https://toapply.org/CFC
City of Cambridge, Department of Human Services (DHSP)Cambridge, Somerville,(617) 349-6252http://www.cambridgema.gov/DHSP/programsforfamilies/fuelassistancehttps://toapply.org/CCDHS
Community Action Pioneer Valley (CAPV)Amherst, Ashfield, Belchertown, Bernardston, Blandford, Buckland, Charlemont, Chester, Colrain, Conway, Cummington, Deerfield, Easthampton, Erving, Gill, Goshen, Granby, Greenfield, Hadley, Hatfield, Hawley, Heath, Huntington, Leverett, Leyden, Middlefield, Monroe, Montague, Northampton, Northfield, Orange, Pelham, Plainfield, Rowe, Shelburne, Shutesbury, South Hadley, Southampton, Southwick, Sunderland, Ware, Warwick, Wendell, Westhampton, Williamsburg, Worthington,413-774-2310https://www.communityaction.us/fuel-assistancehttps://toapply.org/CA
Community Action Programs Inter-City, Inc. (CAPIC)Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop,(617) 884-6130http://www.capicinc.org/Eng/E_FuelAssistance.htmlhttps://toapply.org/CAPIC
Community Action, Inc. (CAI)Amesbury, Boxford, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, Merrimac, Newbury, Newburyport, Rowley, Salisbury, West Newbury,978-373-1971https://www.communityactioninc.org/programs/fuel-energyhttps://toapply.org/CAI
Community Teamwork, Inc. (CTI)Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Billerica, Burlington, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Dracut, Dunstable, Groton, Lexington, Lowell, Pepperell, Tewksbury, Tyngsboro, Waltham, Watertown, Westford, Wilmington,978.459.6161http://www.commteam.org/how-we-help/housing-utilities/liheap/https://toapply.org/CTI
Greater Lawrence Community Action Council, Inc. (GLCAC)Andover, Lawrence, Methuen, North Reading, Reading,(978) 681-4900https://www.glcac.org/departments/LIHEAP-Fuel-Assistance.htmlhttps://toapply.org/GLCAC
LEO, Inc. (LEO)Lynn, Lynnfield, Nahant, Saugus, Swampscott, Wakefield,781.309.5639 https://leoinc.org/services/fuel-assistance-home-heating/https://toapply.org/LEO
New England Farm Workers Council, Inc. (NEFWC)Springfield,(413) 272-2209http://www.partnersforcommunity.org/default/index.cfm/fuel-assistance/https://toapply.org/NEFWC
New England Farm Workers Council, Inc. (NEFWC)Ashburnham, Ashby, Athol, Ayer, Barre, Berlin, Bolton, Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Hardwick, Harvard, Hubbardston, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, New Braintree, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Shirley, Sterling, Templeton, Townsend, Westminster, Winchendon,(978) 342-4520http://www.partnersforcommunity.org/default/index.cfm/fuel-assistance/https://toapply.org/NEFWF
North Shore Community Action Program, Inc. (NSCAP)Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Middleton, Peabody, Salem, Topsfield,(978) 531-0767https://www.nscap.org/our-programs/fuel-assistance/https://toapply.org/NSCAP
People Acting in Community Endeavors, Inc. (PACE)Acushnet, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Marion, New Bedford, Rochester,508-525-4271http://paceinfo.org/programs-2/fuel-assistance-program/https://toapply.org/PACE
Quincy Community Action Programs, Inc. (QCAP)Braintree, Milton, Quincy, Weymouth,617-657-5301 https://www.qcap.org/our-programs/energy-programs/https://toapply.org/QCAP
Self-Help, Inc. (SHI)Abington, Attleboro, Avon, Bridgewater, Brockton, Canton, Dedham, East Bridgewater, Easton, Foxboro, Franklin, Hanson, Holbrook, Mansfield, Needham, Norfolk, North Attleboro, Norton, Norwood, Plainville, Randolph, Raynham, Rockland, Sharon, Stoughton, Walpole, West Bridgewater, Westwood, Whitman, Wrentham, 508-588-5440https://selfhelpinc.org/program-services/fuel-energy/fuel-assistance/https://toapply.org/SHI
South Middlesex Opportunity Council, Inc. (SMOC)Ashland, Bellingham, Blackstone, Boxboro, Concord, Dover, Framingham, Grafton, Hopedale, Hopkinton, Hudson, Lincoln, Littleton, Marlborough, Maynard, Medfield, Medway, Mendon, Milford, Millis, Millville, Natick, Northborough, Northbridge, Norwood, Sherborn, Shrewsbury, Southborough, Stow, Sudbury, Upton, Uxbridge, Wayland, Wellesley, Westborough,508-620-1230http://www.smoc.org/smoc-fuel-assistance.phphttps://toapply.org/SMOC
South Shore Community Action Council, Inc. (SSCAC)Aquinnah, Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Carver, Chatham, Chilmark, Cohasset, Dennis, Duxbury, Eastham, Edgartown, Falmouth, Gosnold, Halifax, Hanover, Harwich, Harwich Port, Hingham, Hull, Kingston, Marshfield, Mashpee, Middleboro, Nantucket, Norwell, Oak Bluffs, Orleans, Pembroke, Plymouth, Plympton, Provincetown, Sandwich, Scituate, South Chatham, South Falmouth, Tisbury, Truro, Wareham, Wellfleet, West Chatham, West Harwich, West Tisbury, West Wareham, West Yarmouth, Woods Hole, Yarmouth, Yarmouthport,508-746-6707http://www.sscac.org/fuel_assistance/index.htmlhttps://toapply.org/SSCAC
Valley Opportunity Council, Inc. (VOC)Agawam, Blandford, Brimfield, Chester, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Granville, Hampden, Holland, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Monson, Montgomery, Palmer, Russell, Southwick, Tolland, Wales, West Springfield, Westfield, Wilbraham,(413) 552-1554https://www.valleyopp.com/energy-assistance/fuel-assistancehttps://toapply.org/VOC
Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. (WCAC)Auburn, Boylston, Brookfield, Charlton, Douglas, Dudley, East Brookfield, Holden, Leicester, Millbury, North Brookfield, Oakham, Oxford, Paxton, Rutland, Southbridge, Spencer, Sturbridge, Sutton, Warren, Webster, West Boylston, West Brookfield, Worcester,(508) 754-1176http://www.wcac.net/fuel-assistance/https://toapply.org/WCAC

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What Other Cold Relief Programs are Available?

There are also programs for Weatherization Assistance (WAP) to help reduce the energy costs in your home and for Heating System Repair and Replacement (HEARTWAP) to help with problems with your heating system. Your Fuel Assistance Application also serves as an application for the Weatherization program and the Heating System Repair and Replacement Program.  The agency near you can help with you these programs as well.

For more information about Cold Relief, call the Cold Relief Heatline 1-800-632-8175 or click here.

Additional Resources

For utility company problems, please call the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) at 1-877-886-5066. Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities.

For limited income households who are not eligible for fuel assistance, please contact The Good Neighbor Energy Fund operated by your local Salvation Army:
In area codes 617, 508, 781, or 978: 1-800-334-3047
In area code 413: 1-800-262-1320

Mass 2-1-1: For non-emergency social service programs, dial 211

MASS SAVE also provides help with energy costs and assessments.

Need more help?

Contact your Community Action Agency.

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