Kentucky Heating Assistance Programs: 4 Ways to Apply, LIHEAP Included

A heating bill is one of the hardest to face when money’s tight and the nights turn cold.

Kentucky offers more than one kind of help, and the programs don’t all work the same way.

Here’s where Kentuckians can find help and how to apply.

Note: This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Program rules, dates and income limits are subject to change, so confirm the current details with your local Community Action agency.

How to Apply for Kentucky Heating Assistance

Applying for Kentucky heating assistance starts at your local Community Action agency, whichever program you want.

Community Action Kentucky says its agencies serve all 120 counties, so one covers yours.

To find your office, call 800-456-3452 or visit capky.org/network.

Bring proof of a Social Security number or Green Card for each person in your household.

Add proof of income from the preceding month for all household members.

A current utility bill or a landlord statement goes in the folder too, along with the account number and name on your heating fuel and electric accounts.

The fall, crisis and cooling notices ask for those same four items, so one folder works for every window.

If that folder’s ready before the next notice goes out, you can apply the day enrollment opens.

1. LIHEAP Fall Subsidy

The LIHEAP Fall Subsidy pays once, straight to your energy vendor.

That payment can go toward electricity, natural gas, propane, coal, wood or fuel oil.

You don’t need a disconnect notice, a past-due bill or an eviction notice to qualify.

Prior LIHEAP help doesn’t affect your eligibility, either.

Community Action Kentucky says households at up to 150% of the federal poverty guidelines qualify.

For a household of four, the 2026 guideline is $33,000, so the 150% line works out to $49,500.

How much you get depends on your housing type, your fuel and your income.

That 2025 window lasted about six weeks.

The Lake Cumberland Community Action Agency describes a similar fall schedule.

Its subsidy usually begins in early November and runs about five to six weeks or until funding is spent.

That agency serves Adair, Casey, Clinton, Cumberland, Green, McCreary, Pulaski, Russell, Taylor and Wayne counties.

Dates change by year, so call your agency or check capky.org before you count on last year’s window.

2. LIHEAP Winter Crisis

When a heating emergency hits, LIHEAP’s Winter Crisis help is the component built for it.

Community Action Kentucky defines an emergency as imminent loss of heat, a low fuel supply or an eviction over unpaid utility bills.

If you’re facing a gas or electric shutoff, bring a disconnect or past-due notice.

If your rent includes heat, bring a copy of your lease and an eviction notice instead.

Income can’t exceed 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, the same cap as the fall subsidy.

The benefit covers the minimum amount needed to end the crisis.

It can’t exceed the local cost of a deliverable supply of your primary heating fuel, or $400 for gas or electric.

Applications opened on January 6 and ran through March 27, 2026, first come, first served until funds were depleted.

In Lexington, the Community Action Council also lets you reapply each time a heating crisis comes up, until you reach your maximum benefit.

Last winter, that council took crisis appointments online at commaction.org or by phone at (859) 300-6960.

When no appointments were open, its neighborhood centers took walk-ins from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Psst! How much do you know about winter utility bills? Take our quiz and see how many you can get right.

Quiz

Winter Utility IQ

Answer these questions on Kentucky utility shutoffs, energy help and weatherization. We bet you can’t get them all right. Prove us wrong?

Question 1 of 8

Kentucky Housing Corporation says families who go through weatherization often save up to how much a year on utility bills?

3. Home Energy Assistance Program

Community Action Kentucky says the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEA) credits your utility account, but only if you're an active residential customer of one of six participating utilities.

Those utilities are Columbia Gas, Delta Natural Gas, Duke Energy, Louisville Gas & Electric, Kentucky Utilities and Kentucky Power.

Applications go through Community Action agencies, the same offices that take LIHEAP.

Louisville Gas & Electric's assistance page sends its customers to the same Community Action network.

Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission, for instance, tells Duke Energy customers to contact a neighborhood center in their county to apply.

Gas-only Duke customers get a credit for the peak heating months, January through April.

HEA's income ceiling runs higher than LIHEAP's, at or below 200% of the poverty guidelines.

For a household of four, that's $66,000 against LIHEAP's $49,500, so you may still fit HEA if you miss the LIHEAP line.

Approved applications go on a waitlist.

The program year runs from October to September, and you have to re-apply each year.

Duke Energy and Kentucky Power's HEA crisis programs begin taking applications in January.

4. Weatherization Assistance

Furnace repair or replacement is one of the no-cost services in Kentucky's Weatherization Assistance Program.

The program also covers energy audits, air sealing, and attic, floor and wall insulation.

Kentucky Housing Corporation runs it with Department of Energy and LIHEAP funding.

Community Action agencies deliver the work statewide.

Your household income has to be at or below 200% of the poverty level.

The corporation also bars help if you received weatherization assistance within a rolling 15 years.

You'll need Social Security numbers and monthly income verification for everyone in the home, plus your energy bills.

You'll also need proof that you own the home, or a landlord agreement if you rent.

To apply, contact your local weatherization provider through your Community Action agency.

Psst! Which Kentucky heating help could fit your household? Run through this checklist and see where you stand.

Winter Certificate of Need

A certificate of need from Community Action Kentucky can keep your gas or electric service on for up to 30 days.

The Public Service Commission's customer bill of rights lists it for customers who haven't been disconnected and who present the certificate between November and the end of March.

To qualify, your household income has to be at or below 130% of the poverty level, or you have to be eligible for the state's energy assistance program.

The Cabinet for Health and Family Services or its designee issues the certificate.

If your gas or electric service has already been cut off for nonpayment, you can apply for reconnection from November 1 through March 31.

To get reconnected, you present the certificate, pay one-third of your outstanding bill or $200, whichever is less, and agree to a repayment schedule.

You also have to accept a referral to weatherization services.

The Math on Kentucky's Winter Reconnection Payment

Kentucky's winter reconnection payment reaches its $200 cap at a $600 bill, where one-third of what you owe is exactly $200.

On a $450 bill, one-third is $150, so you'd pay $150.

On a $900 bill, one-third is $300, so you'd pay the $200 cap.

If you owe more than $600, the regulation has a separate test.

A repayment plan has to be accepted when it pays your current charges and makes a good-faith reduction in what you owe, based on your ability to pay.

FAQ

How do I apply for LIHEAP in Kentucky?

Start at your local Community Action agency. Call 800-456-3452 or visit capky.org/network to find your office.

What is the income limit for Kentucky LIHEAP?

Community Action Kentucky sets the limit at up to and including 150% of the federal poverty guidelines for its fall subsidy and crisis components.

For a household of four, that's $49,500 under the 2026 guideline of $33,000.

When does Kentucky LIHEAP open?

Community Action Kentucky's latest notices put the fall subsidy in early November and crisis help in early January.

Exact dates change by year, so call your agency.

Does Kentucky LIHEAP cover coal, wood or propane?

Yes.

The fall subsidy covers electric, natural gas, propane, coal, wood and fuel oil.

Is Kentucky's HEA program the same as LIHEAP?

No. HEA is a separate program that credits the utility accounts of customers of six participating utilities, with an income limit of 200% of the poverty guidelines.

You apply through a local Community Action agency, and approved applications go on a waitlist.