Ohio Households Facing a Heating Shutoff Can Apply to the Winter Crisis Program Starting Nov. 2, After 73,000 Got $25.5 Million Last Year
For Ohio households whose gas or electric has already been cut off, who are holding a shutoff notice, or whose propane or fuel oil tank is down to a quarter or less, the state’s Winter Crisis Program starts taking applications on Monday, Nov. 2. The program pays a one-time benefit toward the bill or a fuel delivery, and it runs through March 31, 2027. More than 73,000 Ohio households used it last winter, receiving $25.5 million in help.
The program is federally funded and run by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, according to the Office of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel’s fact sheet, which lists the 2026-2027 dates as Nov. 2, 2026, through March 31, 2027. Assistance is limited to once per heating season.
Seven Situations That Open the Door
The Winter Crisis Program is not a general heating grant. A household has to be in one of seven specific situations to qualify, the Consumers’ Counsel says. It can already be disconnected, hold a shutoff notice, need new utility service, need to pay to transfer service, be in default on the PIPP Plus payment plan, need to enroll in PIPP Plus, or have a bulk fuel supply at 25% or less.
The ODJFS Winter Crisis page describes the program the same way: it helps income-eligible Ohioans who are threatened with disconnection, have been disconnected, or have less than a 25% supply of bulk fuel keep their service.
“The Winter Crisis Program is available for families facing a shut-off or running low on fuel,” ODJFS Director Matt Damschroder said, according to Spectrum News 1, which reported last winter’s 73,000 households and $25.5 million in benefits.
The Caps Run From $175 to $1,500
How much a household can get depends on how it heats. The Consumers’ Counsel lists these maximum benefits for the 2026-2027 season:
- Up to $175 for customers of electric and natural gas utilities regulated by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio
- Up to $750 for customers of municipal utilities or electric cooperatives
- Up to $1,200 for kerosene, propane or fuel oil
- Up to $650 for wood or coal
- A separate benefit of up to $1,500 to repair or replace a heating unit
The money can also go toward propane or fuel tank replacement and testing. Homeowners can use the repair benefit on main heating sources such as wood burners and pellet stoves.
The $175 cap for regulated utilities lines up with the PUCO’s Special Reconnect Order for this winter, which lets residential customers of regulated electric and gas utilities restore or keep service by paying no more than $175, plus a reconnection charge of up to $36. The order runs from Oct. 12, 2026, through April 16, 2027, and can be used once per heating season.
The order itself has no income test. But the PUCO says customers at or below 175% of the federal income guidelines can apply to the Winter Crisis Program for help paying that $175. More than 227,637 Ohioans used the reconnect order last winter, according to the commission.
The 175% Income Line
For households of up to seven people, income must be at or below 175% of the federal guidelines. Larger households use 60% of state median income instead. Income can be measured over the past 30 days or the past 12 months, and wages of dependent children under 18 are not counted.
The Consumers’ Counsel’s table puts the 12-month limits at:
- $27,930 for one person
- $37,870 for two
- $47,810 for three
- $57,750 for four
- $67,690 for five
- $77,630 for six
- $87,570 for seven
For a household of eight, the limit is $94,881. Renters and homeowners can both qualify, but the utility bill must be in the name of an adult who lives in the home.
Illinois takes a different approach, opening its $240 million utility bill program to every income-eligible household on Nov. 1, and neighboring Indiana bars utilities from shutting off households that apply for energy assistance from Dec. 1 to March 15.
An Appointment Is Required
Ohio lets applicants start online, but the application has to be finished at an appointment with the local Energy Assistance Provider or Community Action Agency. Appointments can be in person or remote, the Consumers’ Counsel says. ODJFS says agencies open appointments throughout the day and that they can also be booked through the agency’s own website, with utility bills on hand to enter account numbers.
Applicants need a list of everyone in the household and proof of income for each member over 18, their most recent gas and electric bills regardless of account status, proof of U.S. citizenship or legal residency, birth dates and Social Security numbers for everyone in the home, and proof of disability if it applies.
Scheduling the appointment also buys time. Once a Winter Crisis appointment is set, PUCO-regulated utilities must hold off on disconnection for 30 days, a protection that can be used once a year per utility.
A Payment Plan Comes Next
The benefit is not the end of the process for customers who still owe money. Households served by a PUCO-regulated utility that have a balance left after the payment must enroll in an extended payment plan, according to the Consumers’ Counsel. The options are the One-Ninth, One-Sixth and One-Third plans, the last of which is the Winter Heating Season Plan, or PIPP Plus for those who qualify.
The Consumers’ Counsel also says extra help may be available from several utilities, including AES Ohio, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Enbridge Gas, Duke Energy, the FirstEnergy utilities, Ohio Power, National Fuel and Northeast Ohio Natural Gas.
The local agency list is available through the ODJFS energy and community assistance page, which also links to the state’s online energy assistance application. The Consumers’ Counsel can be reached at 1-877-742-5622, and the PUCO call center at 800-686-7826.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Sixflashphoto – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
