Maryland’s Winter Crisis Season for Energy Aid Opens Nov. 1 With Up to $600 a Household, After Applications Jumped 17%

Maryland’s Office of Home Energy Programs starts its winter crisis season on Sunday, Nov. 1, with up to $600 available to households that are out of heating fuel or about to lose service. It opens with demand already running well ahead of last year.

Early fiscal 2027 energy assistance applications rose 17.2%, from 72,791 to 85,314, compared with the same point a year earlier, according to materials prepared for the program’s Oct. 8 advisory board meeting. The winter crisis season runs from Nov. 1, 2026, through March 31, 2027, and households “may receive up to $600,” based on what it takes to resolve the emergency, the same document says.

Up to $600 when the tank is nearly empty

Crisis help is different from the regular heating grant. It is meant for households that are already in trouble. The advisory board materials, citing state regulations, describe two kinds of crisis: a household that “has no supply of fuel,” treated as an 18-hour crisis, and one with “not more than a 3 to 4 day supply of fuel,” treated as a 48-hour crisis.

Maryland’s federal fiscal 2027 LIHEAP state plan sets the same window and amounts. It lists a winter crisis benefit of $100 at minimum and $600 at most, with intervention within 48 hours for a standard crisis and within 18 hours for a life-threatening one. The plan’s regular heating benefit ranges from $25 to $1,325.

The department’s guidance is to apply well before a shutoff. The Office of Home Energy Programs tells households on its frequently asked questions page not to wait for a turn-off notice before applying. Once a household has a turn-off notice, OHEP staff can ask the utility for a 55-day hold on the account, though the household must keep making monthly payments during the hold.

Applications up 17%, arrearage requests up more

The 17.2% jump is in total applications. Some parts of the program grew even faster. According to the advisory board document, early-year applications for the Maryland Energy Assistance Program rose 20.48%, from 70,460 to 84,890. Requests for help with past-due electric bills through EUSP arrearage retirement climbed 44.47%, and gas arrearage requests rose 61.48%.

More households are also getting paid. The number receiving MEAP benefits so far rose 18%, from 40,325 to 47,458, and the number receiving EUSP electric bill help rose 17.14%, from 40,619 to 47,582.

The surge follows a full fiscal 2026 in which applications rose 27%, from 165,397 to 209,329, the same document shows.

The rise comes after changes the state made this summer. Gov. Wes Moore announced in a July 2 release that OHEP benefits would rise by up to 32%, with a structure designed to offset up to 55% of annual heating costs and up to 47% of electric bills for vulnerable households. The release said about 200,000 households were expected to receive more help and that SNAP and Temporary Cash Assistance recipients could be connected to energy programs through automated data matching. Moore said no family should have to choose between paying a utility bill and putting food on the table.

Who qualifies and how to apply

OHEP’s fiscal 2027 monthly gross income limits for MEAP and EUSP are $2,660 for one person, $3,607 for two, $4,553 for three and $5,500 for a family of four, rising to $11,180 for a household of 10, according to the FAQ page. Income is counted for household members over 18 during the 30 days before applying.

Applications go through MarylandBenefits.gov, a local office drop box, mail or phone, and the department warns that submitting documents separately from an online application will slow it down. Applicants need a photo ID, Social Security numbers for everyone in the household, a recent utility bill, a heating bill for oil, wood or propane, and proof of income. Paper applications are available at 1-800-332-6347.

The site has covered how other states are handling the same winter, including Illinois’ $240 million utility program and Iowa’s Nov. 1 opening.

Maryland’s winter shutoff rules

The crisis season lines up with the state’s winter protections. From Nov. 1 to March 31, Maryland utilities may not shut off residential gas or electric service for nonpayment unless they first file an affidavit at least 24 hours ahead certifying that the termination “does not constitute a threat to the life or health of the residential occupants,” according to the Maryland Public Service Commission. Utilities also may not cut service for nonpayment on any day when the 6 a.m. forecast is 32 degrees or colder.

A household facing a serious medical condition can get an additional 30-day hold on termination, with a doctor’s certification if the utility requires one, but must enter a payment agreement during that time, the commission says.

Two more programs are scheduled for Jan. 1, 2027, according to the advisory board materials: Maryland Fuel Assistance, a state program for households at or below 200% of the federal poverty level that includes residents excluded from federal aid, and the Residential Customer Assistance Program, which aims to bring eligible bills to about 6% of household income.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Martin Falbisoner – CC BY-SA 3.0/Wikimedia Commons