5 Maryland Utility Bill Relief Programs Households Qualify For but Never Apply For
A household of four in Maryland can bring in up to $5,500 a month and still qualify for help with utility bills.
Winter shut-off limits started Nov. 1, but they won’t pay your bill.
Here are the Maryland utility bill relief programs households qualify for and never apply for.
Note: This is general information, not financial advice. Program rules and income limits are subject to change, so confirm the current details with the Maryland Department of Human Services’ Office of Home Energy Programs (OHEP).
1. Maryland Energy Assistance Program
The Maryland Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) pays part of your heating bill.
The payment goes to your heating supplier once OHEP approves your application.
The $5,500 monthly limit for a household of four counts your gross income from the last 30 days.
So a recent pay cut can move you under the limit.
If your household gets Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) benefits, you’re categorically eligible and don’t need a separate application.
Many households that qualify still skip the application.
Renters, homeowners, and households with heat included in the rent can all qualify.
The amount depends on your fuel type, household income, and where you live.
The governor’s office says benefits went up by as much as 32% on July 1, 2026.
MEAP covers only part of your heating costs, and it pays once per heating season.
Applying before a shut-off notice arrives can help prevent one.
Don’t wait.
2. Electric Universal Service Program
The Electric Universal Service Program (EUSP) pays part of your electric bill.
OHEP sends the grant to your electric company.
Your household can receive it once per program year, which runs July through June.
EUSP follows the MEAP income limits, which start at $2,660 a month for one person.
OHEP bases your grant partly on your household income and your electric use over the prior 12 months.
Applying for Energy Assistance
Energy assistance applications go online at MarylandBenefits.gov, by phone, by mail, in person, or into a drop box at your local office.
OHEP lists energy assistance as a year-round program.
You’ll need a photo ID, proof of where you live, Social Security cards for everyone in your household, and your gross income for the last 30 days.
You’ll also need a copy of your utility bill, plus your heating bill if you heat with oil, wood, or propane.
A complete application gets a review within 14 days and a final decision within 45 days.
The 14-day clock doesn’t start until all of your documents arrive.
3. Arrearage Retirement Assistance
Arrearage Retirement Assistance helps with a large past-due electric or gas bill.
Eligible customers can receive up to $2,000 toward a past-due electric bill and up to $1,000 toward a past-due gas bill.
Your past-due balance has to be at least $300.
You also have to be eligible for EUSP.
How often?
You can get this grant only once every five years, with certain exceptions.
Households with a member who is 60 or older, younger than 2, or medically fragile can qualify again if the earlier grant fell below the maximum.
Grants you received in 2020 or 2021 don’t count toward that limit.
4. Fuel Fund of Maryland
The Fuel Fund of Maryland gives utility grants to Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE) residential customers who have fallen behind.
The nonprofit says it gets no federal, state, or local government funding.
Pepco and Delmarva Power customers can’t use it.
To qualify, you need a BGE shut-off notice or no power at home, plus at least four separate payments to BGE over the past year.
Payments from OHEP or other organizations don’t count toward those four.
You also have to apply for state energy assistance first.
Even if your income tops the energy assistance limits, you may still qualify.
Applications are online only, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
Grants depend on available funding.
A grant won’t cover your entire BGE balance, so you’ll still pay part of it.
Its Silver Lights program gives older adults, 60 and up, and customers with critical medical needs one-on-one help with the process.
5. Emergency Assistance to Families With Children
Emergency Assistance to Families With Children (EAFC) gives emergency cash to families who need help paying rent or utilities.
Your family needs at least one child under 21 living with you.
A utility cut-off notice counts as proof of an emergency, but the emergency can’t be one caused by a family member quitting a job.
The limit?
Your local Department of Social Services can pay out the money once every two years, and only when funds are available.
Bring ID, two months of pay stubs or benefit letters, and a recent utility bill.
Utility Service Protection Program
Any household that qualifies for MEAP can join the Utility Service Protection Program (USPP), which is designed to protect low-income families from utility turn-offs during the heating season.
It’s a payment plan, not a grant.
Your payment equals the estimated cost of your average yearly utility use minus your MEAP benefits, split into even monthly amounts.
You have to stay on year-round budget billing to take part.
If you fail to make consecutive payments, you may be removed from the program.
EmPOWER Maryland Upgrades
EmPOWER Maryland installs insulation, hot water improvements, and furnace tuning and safety repairs at no charge, which can lower your monthly power bills.
The housing department sets the income limit at $106,800 a year for a household of four and $74,800 for one person.
You also need an account with one of six participating utilities, including BGE, Pepco, and Delmarva Power.
If you already get OHEP bill help, SNAP, or Supplemental Security Income, you’re automatically income-eligible.
When you apply to OHEP, you’re also referred to the Weatherization Assistance Program unless you opt out on the application.
That program gives priority to households with someone older than 60, a person with a disability, or children at home.
The housing department lists EmPOWER applications as open, and you can apply online or by mail.
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Winter Shut-Off Limits
Maryland's winter shut-off limits apply to gas and electric companies from November 1 through March 31.
In that window, a utility has to certify to the state Public Service Commission that a shut-off won't threaten anyone's life or health.
It has to file that statement at least 24 hours before it turns off your service.
A utility also can't shut off your service for unpaid bills when the 6 a.m. forecast for its weather station area is 32 degrees or below.
If someone in your home has a serious medical condition, your utility has to wait an extra 30 days after you notify it.
Your utility can require a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant to certify the condition on a Commission-approved form.
The completed form has to reach your utility no later than the day before the scheduled shut-off.
During those 30 days, you have to agree to a payment plan with your utility.
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