Help Paying for Heat This Winter: Energy Assistance, Fuel Aid and Shutoff Protection

Connecticut's energy assistance program is taking applications for this winter and will keep taking them until May 31, 2027. The basic benefit runs from $355 to $705 toward heat, for homeowners and renters earning up to 60 percent of the state's median income, which is $93,681 a year for a family of four. The first call is the community action agency that serves your town, or your town's social services office where it takes the application; the table under Where to apply lists both.

Last checked: October 6, 2026. Hours and programs change, so call ahead when you can.

Connecticut Energy Assistance Program: apply by May 31, 2027

The Connecticut Energy Assistance Program, known as CEAP, is run by the state Department of Social Services and handled locally by five community action agencies. Applications opened September 1, 2026. The benefit covers one season, so a household that had help last winter applies again this year.

Who qualifies

A household qualifies if it lives in Connecticut and either someone in it receives SNAP, Temporary Family Assistance, SSI, the State Supplement, Refugee Cash Assistance or certain veterans' benefits, or its yearly income is at or below these limits:

The veterans' benefits that count are the VA Improved Pension, the Survivors Pension and Parents' Dependency and Indemnity Compensation; disability compensation for an injury connected to service does not. Boarders, whose meals come with the rent, cannot apply.

How much it pays

The basic benefit depends on income and on whether the state counts the household as vulnerable, meaning someone in it is 60 or older, has a disability or is younger than 6.

When heat is included in the rent, the program pays the household itself, $90 to $140, once the household shows that the rent covers heat.

A household that heats with oil, propane or kerosene and has used up its basic benefit can get up to three crisis payments in a season, $430 each, when it is close to losing heat. The state says a crisis delivery is authorized within 48 hours of the request, or within 18 hours when someone's life is at risk. Gas and electric customers do not get crisis payments, because the winter shutoff rules described below protect them instead.

If the tank is nearly empty

A household that has run out of fuel, or will within a week, has its completed application handled within 24 hours or on the next business day. Once it is found eligible, a delivery is authorized within 18 hours. Call your community action agency and ask for an appointment.

How to apply

• Online: through the state's CEAP portal. An online application is signed automatically when you send it.
• By phone, email, mail or in person: through your community action agency, or your town office where it takes applications (see Where to apply).
• On paper: form W-1104, in English or Spanish. A paper or emailed application has to be signed, and an unsigned one comes back to the sender.

A mailed application has to be postmarked by May 31, 2027. The state says every household has a right to a decision notice postmarked within 45 days.

What to bring

The state's list:

• Your most recent electric bill. Every household needs this one, whatever it heats with.
• If you heat with oil, kerosene or propane, the name of your fuel company. If you heat with gas or electricity, your latest heating bill.
• If heat comes with your rent, a lease that says so.
• Proof of income for everyone in the household, for the last 30 days or for any four weeks in a row in the last three months. For Social Security, bring the award letter, because the state cannot look it up. Self-employed members bring the state's self-employment worksheet and their latest federal tax return with all its schedules.
• Social Security numbers for everyone in the household.

People on SNAP, Temporary Family Assistance or SSI meet the eligibility rule automatically, but they still have to show their income. The state's How to Apply page has the extra forms for a household with no income, for child support that is not being received and for certifying a disability. Agencies can ask for more. The New Haven agency, for one, wants Social Security cards for everyone, a rent receipt or lease that names the landlord with an address and phone number, and an award letter rather than a bank statement as proof of benefits.

Where to apply in your town

The state assigns each town to one of five community action agencies: the Community Action Agency of New Haven (CAANH), the Community Renewal Team (CRT) in Middletown, New Opportunities (NOI) in Meriden, TEAM in Derby and the Alliance for Community Empowerment in Bridgeport. In six towns the social services office takes the application itself and sends it on to the agency, so residents can apply close to home.

Community Action Agency of New Haven (CAANH)

The agency for East Haven, Hamden, New Haven, North Haven and West Haven. Beyond CEAP, it mediates for customers of Southern Connecticut Gas and United Illuminating and signs them up for the Matching Payment Program described below.

• Where: 419 Whalley Avenue, New Haven
• When: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• How: Call 203-285-8018 to set up an energy appointment, by phone or in person, and wait for a confirmation number. CAANH also takes applications by email and mail, and it accepts the state's online application.
• Contact: 203-285-8018 · 203-387-7700 · energyapplications@caanh.net · caanh.net

Community Renewal Team (CRT), Middletown

Branford, Durham, Guilford, Middletown and North Branford residents apply through CRT. Interviews are handled from the Middletown office, and paper applications go to the agency's energy office in Hartford.

• Where: 32 Washington Street, Middletown
• When: Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• How: Call 860-560-5800 to schedule an interview in person or by phone. To send a paper application, fax 860-560-5731, or mail it to CRT Energy Assistance at 395 Wethersfield Avenue, Hartford, CT 06114. CRT says the towns that take part can also help their residents apply.
• Contact: 860-560-5800 · Middletown office 860-347-4465 · crtenergyapplication@crtct.org · crtct.org

New Opportunities (NOI), Meriden

NOI's Greater Meriden office serves Cheshire, Meriden, Prospect, Southington and Wallingford.

• Where: 22 Church Street, Meriden. The state's town list gives a West Street address, so call to confirm.
• When: Call for hours.
• How: In person or by phone. NOI will visit at home when an older resident is homebound or someone has a physical disability.
• Contact: Energy division 203-235-0278 · 203-639-5060 · energy@newoppinc.org · newoppinc.org

TEAM, Derby

TEAM serves Bethany, Orange and Woodbridge along with Ansonia, Derby, Milford, Shelton and other nearby towns.

• Where: 30 Elizabeth Street, Derby
• When: Call for hours.
• How: Call 203-736-5420, press 3 for Energy and then 1 to apply. The application can also be emailed, mailed, dropped off at the Energy Department or filed online.
• What to bring: the application, signed, with each member's Social Security number and date of birth; income for everyone 18 and older covering four weeks or a month within the past three months, unless the household qualifies through SNAP or another benefit; a gas bill, or for oil, propane or kerosene, the company's name; an electric bill; and, when heat is part of the rent, a lease or rent receipt showing it.
• Contact: 203-736-5420 · energy@teaminc.org · teaminc.org

Alliance for Community Empowerment, Bridgeport

Bridgeport's agency, formerly called ABCD.

• Where: 1070 Park Avenue, Bridgeport
• When: Call for hours. The automated line answers 24 hours a day.
• How: By phone, walk-in, appointment, online or mail. Call 203-384-6904 and follow the prompts, or book a time online. Option 2 on the phone line lists what to bring.
• Contact: 203-384-6904 · 203-382-9515 · energy@alliancect.org · alliancect.org

Help at town hall

In Meriden, Middletown and New Haven, the agency's own office is in the city. Elsewhere, the town office can often help, whether or not it files the application itself:

• Bethany: Bethany Human Services, Town Hall, 40 Peck Road, answers questions about this winter's program, and it will make a home visit for a resident who cannot get to Town Hall to apply. 203-393-2100; Town Hall is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Cheshire: Cheshire Human Services, 19 Wallingford Road, takes applications from Cheshire residents and forwards them to New Opportunities in Waterbury. It began on September 14. Call 203-271-6690 for an application, and gather every document first, because the office sends an application on only when it is complete. Its phones are busiest from September through January.
• Durham: Durham Human Services, which has moved to the Durham Community Center at 144 Pickett Lane, makes energy assistance appointments; residents can also apply online. Monday to Thursday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Friday, 7 a.m. to noon; appointments are suggested. 860-349-3153. Its list of papers: income for everyone 18 or older, such as the four latest pay stubs, a Social Security award letter, a pension letter or 1099s; a SNAP letter if you have one; a current electric bill; your oil company's information; for renters, the landlord's name, address and phone number, and the lease only if it includes heat; and the current rent or mortgage payment.
• East Haven: East Haven Social Services, 91 Taylor Avenue, takes applications from East Haven residents and sends them to CAANH for a decision. The department said it would start in early October; call 203-468-3277 for an appointment.
• Guilford: Guilford Social Services, 263 Church Street, is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 203-453-8009 to ask whether it is taking applications this winter.
• North Branford: North Branford Social Services, 1332 Middletown Avenue, Northford, takes appointments for applications; 203-484-6006. Each fall the program guides and the list of required papers are in print at both public libraries, in the side lobby of Town Hall and in the Social Services lobby.
• North Haven: North Haven Community Services, in the Town Hall Annex at 5 Linsley Street, takes applications over the phone on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9 to 11:15 a.m., by appointment, and residents bring their documents to the office afterward. The town sets the time to call by how a home is heated: oil, from Labor Day on; gas or electric, in January 2027; heat included in the rent, also in January, with the original lease or a housing letter. The office asks for Social Security cards for everyone in the household. 203-239-2566; Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Orange: Orange Community Services, in the High Plains Community Center at 525 Orange Center Road, helps older residents with fuel assistance, and its web page links to TEAM's application. 203-891-4788; weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Prospect: The Prospect Senior Center helps older residents sort out which papers they need to apply. 203-758-5300; Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The town's assistance coordinator is at 203-758-4461.
• Southington: Southington Community Services, 91 Norton Street, Plantsville; 860-628-3761. Call to ask about applying there this winter.
• Wallingford: Wallingford Youth and Social Services, 6 Fairfield Boulevard, lists energy assistance among its programs, helps residents with applications for aid and serves as an intake site for Generation Power CT. 203-294-2175; Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• West Haven: The city's Social Services office, City Hall, 355 Main Street, second floor, says it will post this winter's details in October. 203-937-3558; Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Woodbridge: Woodbridge Human Services, 4 Meetinghouse Lane, takes applications with TEAM, by appointment only, and asks people to bring every document to that appointment. 203-389-3429; weekdays, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Generation Power CT, formerly Operation Fuel

Operation Fuel, the statewide nonprofit that helps with energy bills, now goes by Generation Power CT; its legal name is still Operation Fuel. It takes applications only in short windows. The first this season, September 1 to 15, has closed. The next two are December 1 to 15, 2026, and March 1 to 15, 2027.

• What it pays: one award, for fuel or for a utility bill, of up to $500 in any 12 months.
• Who can apply: households earning up to 75 percent of state median income. For help with a utility bill, the past-due bill has to be in the name of someone in the household, and the account has to show four payments in the past 12 months. Fuel help pays for a delivery made within 30 days after approval; it does not pay back fuel already bought.
• How: online only, at opf.toapply.org. Help by phone is Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to noon, at 860-243-2345, or by email at applications@gpct.org.
• What to bring: proof of gross income for everyone 21 and older in the household, for the four weeks before you apply: pay stubs, a current letter showing benefits, or a current award letter from CEAP or SSI. Generation Power CT does not accept 1099s, tax returns, or the worksheets DSS sends for SNAP and HUSKY.
• Water bills: help for Aquarion, Connecticut Water and MDC customers is open all year.
• More: gpct.org

It has no money for furnace replacement or heating maintenance; the agencies' repair program is under Furnace repairs, below.

These offices, on Generation Power CT's own list, help people with the online application. Call before you go.

Gas and electric bills: winter protection and payment help

From November 1 to May 1, state law bars electric companies, town-owned electric utilities among them, from shutting off a home's service, or refusing to restore it, when the customer has a financial hardship and cannot pay the whole bill. Customers who heat with gas have the same protection from the gas company.

The protection comes with a financial hardship designation on the account. The state counts as hardship customers, among others, people who receive public or private energy assistance; people with income at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty level; people who receive state, city, Medicaid, or federal or state financial assistance; and households where a doctor's office certifies a serious or life-threatening illness.

To get the designation, call your utility or your community action agency. A household approved for CEAP is reported to its utility and designated as a hardship customer, and households getting a DSS benefit such as SNAP are designated automatically on the gas and electric accounts in their own name. The designation is renewed every year, with fresh paperwork in October. The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, the state agency that oversees the utilities, says the shutoff protection holds only for hardship customers enrolled in a payment program.

The bill does not go away during those months. Eversource says the full amount is still owed when the protection period ends.

When a doctor's office certifies that someone in the household has a life-threatening illness, gas and electric service cannot be shut off at any time of year; that certification is renewed annually. At Eversource, a doctor, advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant files it through the company's medical portal within 14 days. Eversource also protects hardship households with a child 24 months old or younger who has been in the hospital and sent home with a clinician's note.

Eversource says it will temporarily reconnect a hardship customer whose service was shut off for nonpayment. To get service back, the customer pays 20 percent of the past-due balance or $400, whichever is less, and signs up for a payment program or plan. Customers without hardship status pay 50 percent or $1,000, whichever is less.

Wallingford's town-owned Electric Division protects hardship customers from November 1 to May 1 once they sign a hardship form, which is renewed each year, and it does not shut off service when the temperature is below 32 degrees. Its medical protection runs from November to May, or all year for a life-threatening condition.

Paying down a past-due balance

The Matching Payment Program, which every utility regulated by the state has to offer, matches a hardship customer's payments dollar for dollar, along with any CEAP payments, to clear the past-due balance. A household does not need CEAP to join, enrollment is open all year, and a customer who keeps making the agreed payments is protected from shutoff all year. At Eversource, household income has to be at or below 60 percent of state median income, and the account has to be at least $100 and 60 days past due.

Discount rates

Eversource's low-income discount is 5, 15, 20, 40 or 50 percent, depending on income or on the benefits a household receives. It applies to the first 1,200 kilowatt-hours a month for customers who heat with electricity and the first 800 for everyone else, and it renews by itself when DSS certifies the household's benefit. United Illuminating offers 10 percent or 50 percent; customers on certain state benefits are enrolled at 10 percent automatically and have to call UI to qualify for the larger discount. The state says gas heating customers get a discount as well; ask the gas company for the amount.

Utility phone numbers

• Eversource, electric service: 800-286-2828
• United Illuminating: 800-722-5584
• Eversource, gas service: 800-438-2278
• Southern Connecticut Gas: 800-659-8299
• Connecticut Natural Gas: 860-524-8361

Oil and propane deliveries, and town fuel banks

For homes heated with oil, propane or kerosene, CEAP pays the fuel company directly, and the agency, not the household, places the order. The agency explains how to ask for a delivery once a household is approved. Deliveries the program pays for start November 2, 2026. The last day for an agency to authorize one is April 1, 2027, and the company has until April 8 to deliver it. A household that applies after April 1 can still send in receipts for fuel it paid for between November 2 and April 1; paid fuel bills are due by June 17, 2027.

North Haven tells its residents to call for oil when the tank is down to a quarter. In Bridgeport, the Alliance takes oil orders on its automated line, option 4, starting in November, and the oil arrives 48 to 72 business hours after the fuel company gets the request.

The program pays only fuel companies registered with the state Department of Consumer Protection, and a company cannot bill a CEAP customer for the gap between its own price and what the program pays.

When the state benefit is used up, the next stop is Generation Power CT in December, and after that the funds some towns keep for their own residents. Dial 2-1-1, the state's information line, at any hour for a referral.

• Branford: Branford Social Services, 342 Harbor Street, helps with emergency fuel, utility payments and shut-off notices. 203-488-5404; Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.
• Bridgeport: The city's Social Services Department, 999 Broad Street, gives emergency help with rent and utility bills to families facing a housing hardship. 203-576-7416; Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Cheshire: The Cheshire Fuel Bank, paid for by donations, helps Cheshire residents in an emergency. Cheshire Human Services, 203-271-6690.
• Hamden: Hamden Community Services, at the Keefe Community Center, 11 Pine Street, helps residents up to age 59 who are having trouble paying fuel and energy bills; bring income documents. 203-562-5129, ext. 1110. Residents 60 and older call Elderly Services, 203-287-2547.
• Orange: The town's fuel bank, part of its Community Assistance Fund, helps Orange residents based on household size and income, as long as money lasts. Orange Community Services, 203-891-4788.
• Southington: Southington Community Services runs an emergency energy fund for residents; 860-628-3761.
• Woodbridge: The Resident Assistance Fund helps Woodbridge residents who meet its rules with food or fuel in an emergency. Woodbridge Human Services, 203-389-3429.

Furnace repairs and weatherization

Through CEAP, a household that heats with oil, propane or kerosene can ask the program to pay for a clean, tune and test of the heating system, while the money lasts; renters need the landlord's written permission.

For a system that is unsafe or not working, the state has set aside $1.2 million to repair or replace heating systems and oil tanks, and water heaters that are part of a combination boiler, in eligible single-family homes lived in by the owner or by a life tenant. A qualified contractor first has to find the system unsafe or not working, and households with someone 60 or older, someone with a disability or a child under 6 may be served first. Ask your community action agency.

Households that qualify for CEAP also qualify for the state's Weatherization Assistance Program, which CET runs, and the CEAP application is used to check their income. CET sends applications on request: call 860-781-7124, or email ctwap@cetonline.org with your name, address and phone number.

Eversource's Income-Eligible Home Energy Solutions program offers weatherization at no cost to customers who meet its income rules; call 877-947-3873.

How to help

The town fuel funds are paid for by donations, and Generation Power CT takes gifts from across the state.

• Generation Power CT: give at gpct.org/donate, or through the Add-A-Dollar line on your utility bill, which continues under the new name.
• Cheshire Fuel Bank: supported by individuals, religious groups and civic organizations; ask Cheshire Human Services, 203-271-6690, how to give.
• Southington's emergency energy fund: the town says every donation goes to the residents it helps; Southington Community Services, 860-628-3761.
• Woodbridge Resident Assistance Fund: runs on donations alone; Woodbridge Human Services, 203-389-3429.
• Orange Community Assistance Fund, which includes the fuel bank: checks payable to "Treasurer, Town of Orange," 525 Orange Center Road, Orange.
• Durham Neighbors in Need: make checks out to Durham Neighbors in Need. Durham Human Services also takes gift cards from Walmart, Stop & Shop and Visa, and gas cards; 860-349-3153.
• Branford: the town's Counseling and Community Services department says donations for residents in need are most appreciated; 203-481-4248.
• East Haven: the Senior Center, 91 Taylor Avenue, is collecting scarves for its "100 Scarves" Crochet for a Cause drive through December 1.
• The community action agencies: CAANH, CRT and the Alliance take donations through their websites.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get heating help if I rent?

Yes. Renters apply for CEAP the same way homeowners do. If heat is included in your rent, the program pays you $90 to $140 directly once you show a lease or other proof that the rent covers heat.

I am almost out of oil. What do I do?

Call your community action agency today and ask for an appointment. A household that is out of fuel, or will be within a week, has its finished application handled within 24 hours or on the next business day, and the delivery is authorized within 18 hours of approval. If you have already used your basic benefit, ask about crisis assistance.

Can the electric or gas company shut me off this winter?

Not from November 1 to May 1 if your account carries a financial hardship designation and you are enrolled in a payment program. The balance is still owed when the period ends. A household on SNAP is designated automatically on the accounts in its own name; anyone else can ask the utility or the community action agency.

I got CEAP last year. Do I have to apply again?

Yes. The benefit is for one season, and every household applies again each year.

When can I apply to Operation Fuel?

It is now called Generation Power CT, and its next windows are December 1 to 15, 2026, and March 1 to 15, 2027. Applications are online only, and the offices in the table above can help you file one.

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