Eligibility

To qualify for the Energy Assistance Program (EAP), you must live in Minnesota and your household's income must be below a certain level. If you meet these requirements, the state will help pay for your heating costs.

Income Limits

The annual income limits for the program depend on how many people are in your household.

These limits are for the period 10/1/2022 to 9/30/2023. The Minnesota Department of Commerce has a list of income limits for larger families.

Applying for Energy Assistance

To apply for Energy Assistance, download an application, fill it out, and submit it to your local Energy Assistance provider. You can also get information on applying by calling 1-800-657-3710 or 651-296-2860 (TTY). You should find out whether or not you qualify within a month of applying.

Application Deadlines

For help paying your heating bills between 10/1/2022 and 9/30/2023, you must apply by 5/31/2023. Try to apply as early in the year as possible.

Large families with low incomes and high heating costs tend to benefit the most from Minnesota's Energy Assistance Program.

The amount of assistance your family gets depends on four things:

1. Your income
2. Your family size
3. Your heating costs
4. The type of heating fuel you use

The average amount a family on Energy Assistance saves is $500 a year.

Services
In addition to helping pay for your heating bills, the Energy Assistance Program can also:

• Provide information on how to heat your home more efficiently and safely
• Provide information on what to do if your heating gets turned off, and
• Help with emergency repairs

Energy Assistance Providers

Each county works with an organization that provides Energy Assistance services. This organization might be a:

• Community Action Agency
• County Department of Human Services
• Non-profit Agency
• Tribe

You can find your local Energy Assistance provider on the Department of Commerce website.

Weatherization Assistance Program

Some households can also get help decreasing energy costs. This is called the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). The Minnesota Department of Commerce has more information on the WAP.

Rules for Families with People with Disabilities

Not all households get help from the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). Households that have a member with a disability get higher priority for WAP services.

Sarah and Jon's Story

Sarah and her husband Jon had just gotten jobs. For the first time in two years, they weren’t getting help from the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP). Even though they were both working and had child care paid for, money was still tight. Winter was just around the corner and their heating bills were very high.

$500 would be paid to the local utility company to help with heating costs.

Luckily, when they had applied for MFIP, they had also contacted their local Energy Assistance provider. This program would help them pay for their heating costs. They had mailed in their application to the Energy Assistance provider when they first applied to MFIP, so by the time winter came around, they knew that $500 would be paid to the local utility company to help with heating costs.

They had also applied for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP), which helps with things like insulation. There was a waiting list for that program, but since Jon had a disability, the family was placed near the top of that list.