Alabama energy and utility bill assistance: LIHEAP and weatherization (2026-27)

How ADECA splits LIHEAP among 18 local agencies

ADECA divides the state into 18 LIHEAP regions. In each one, a community action agency or nonprofit decides who is eligible and pays the energy vendor directly ⁠². Money is divided according to each county’s share of people in poverty ⁠⁴. For FFY 2026 the Governor announced about $43.8 million in grants to the 18 agencies. The largest, $9.27 million, went to the Community Action Agency of Northeast Alabama ⁠⁷. Each agency sets its own application periods ⁠⁷. ADECA had not posted FFY 2027 awards as of October 20, 2026.

CAA = Community Action Agency. Source: ADECA LIHEAP Map and Contact List, checked October 20, 2026, which also lists some county-specific lines ⁠¹.

Jefferson County, including Birmingham, is served by the Rainsville-based Northeast Alabama agency, which took over LIHEAP there in December 2021 ⁠¹² and lists Birmingham and Bessemer offices ⁠¹¹.

The 150% line, measured on last month’s gross income

Alabama sets the limit at 150% of the HHS poverty guidelines. It does not use the alternative of 60% of state median income ⁠². Only the calendar month before you apply counts: if you apply in November, you prove each household member’s gross income for October ⁠².

On May 15, 2026, ADECA switched to the 2026 guidelines. The limit for a household of four rose from $4,019 a month (in force since October 1, 2025) to $4,125 ⁠⁴⁠², which is $49,500 a year, or 150% of the 2026 guideline of $33,000 ⁠¹³. The draft FFY 2027 plan keeps these figures until the 2027 guidelines are published ⁠².

SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, school lunches, housing assistance, foster care payments and the earnings of household members under 18 are not counted as income ⁠³. The state manual also requires:

• Applicant and bill. The applicant must be the head of household, the spouse or a second-party applicant. The bill must be in the head of household’s or the spouse’s name ⁠³.
• Immigration status. A parent who lacks qualified status can apply for a citizen child if no other adult in the home is a citizen or qualified non-citizen ⁠³.
• Renters. If your rent includes utilities and the housing is not subsidized, you can still qualify, and the payment goes to you. Public housing and voucher tenants have their utility allowance subtracted from the payment ⁠³⁠².

Reading ADECA’s chart: fuel type changes the payment

Regular payments come from one statewide Payment Assistance Chart. Each household size has three monthly income bands, and the payment for each band depends on your main heating fuel ⁠². The plan’s cooling range ($320 to $520 with the bonus) matches the electric column. The heating range ($280 to $580) covers all four fuels ⁠².

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Households of five or more get the four-person amounts, with higher income limits ($4,835 for five, $6,965 for eight). An agency may add $50 for a high-need household, such as one with a child under 18 or an elderly or disabled member. The $50 cannot be split ⁠².

The dollar amounts are the same as on the FFY 2026 chart. Only the income bands changed, and the FFY 2026 plan listed the same benefit ranges ⁠³⁠⁶. Payment usually reaches the vendor within 30 days of approval, and you owe any remaining balance ⁠⁵.

Two seasons and a limit of four payments a year

Heating and crisis heating run October 1 to April 30. Cooling and crisis cooling run May 1 to September 30 ⁠³. Each type of help is paid once per season, so a household can receive at most four payments a year ⁠³. Households with a member who is 60 or older, has a documented disability, or is under 18 get early application periods.

What counts as a crisis in Alabama

ADECA defines a crisis broadly. An eligible household can qualify if someone’s health would likely be endangered, if a declared disaster affected it, or simply if it includes a child under 18 ⁠³. Losing your heating or cooling source, by itself, does not automatically count as a crisis ⁠³.

• Amount. The payment is the least it takes to keep or restore service, or to buy 30 days of delivered fuel. It cannot exceed 200% of your chart amount ⁠²⁠³. The draft plan caps crisis help at $1,100 in winter and $990 in summer ⁠². For example, a $410 chart amount allows up to $820 ⁠².
• Deadlines. The agency must resolve the crisis within 48 hours of a complete application, or 18 hours if a life is at risk. In that case, missing documents can be waived and your statement accepted instead ⁠².
• Fees. Crisis help can pay deposits, reconnection and late fees, propane tank set-up or rental fees and delivery surcharges. Households on prepaid meters cannot use it for deposits or reconnection fees ⁠³.
• Equipment. Agencies may supply fans, portable heaters, electric blankets or temporary housing ⁠². They can buy a window air conditioner only in a documented life-threatening case ⁠³. Repairs are capped at your crisis amount, and the unit must be expected to keep working for at least 90 days ⁠³.

Booking with your county’s agency

1. Find your region

   On ADECA’s LIHEAP Map and Contact List, find your county and call the agency’s call center or use its online scheduler if it has one ⁠¹. You must apply in the county where you live ⁠³.

2. Ask how it takes applications

   Alabama is moving from its FACSPro case system to an online portal called LITT (Lifting Individuals Through Technology), which ADECA expects to finish in the first quarter of FFY 2027. Some agencies already accept applications on their websites ⁠².

3. Gather documents

   Bring a photo ID, Social Security cards for everyone in the household, and a recent bill showing the account number ⁠⁴. Bring proof of last month’s gross income for every member. A member 18 or older with no income completes a Declaration of Household Income ⁠³⁠¹¹. If you mail your application, send photocopies, not originals ⁠⁴. The Northeast Alabama agency requires original Social Security cards and rejects bank statements ⁠¹¹.

4. Send someone in your place if needed

   If you are 60 or older or disabled, you can authorize another person to attend the appointment for you ⁠⁵.

5. Bring missing papers within 15 days

   If your file is incomplete, it is put on hold, and the application is denied if you do not supply the missing papers within 15 days ⁠³.

6. Keep your approval copy

   It shows the amount, the vendor and the account credited ⁠². You must reapply, with new proof, each season ⁠³.

Weatherization in 13 regions at 200% of poverty

The Alabama Weatherization Assistance Program is free and open to households at or below 200% of poverty ⁠⁸, which is $66,000 a year for a household of four in 2026 ⁠¹³. An energy audit decides which improvements and safety repairs are made ⁠⁸. The Program Year 2026 plan (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027) budgets $4,411,956 in U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funds for about 275 homes, an average of $8,813 per home. A home can be weatherized again after 15 years ⁠⁹.

Weatherization uses different regions from LIHEAP. Twelve community action agencies and the Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission cover all 67 counties ⁠⁹. For example, Etowah County’s provider is the Northeast Alabama agency, and Dallas, Perry, Macon and Russell counties are served by the Central Alabama commission ⁠⁸. LIHEAP-funded weatherization ranks applicants by priority points (10 each for an elderly or disabled head of household or a child under 18). Renters need their landlord’s approval, and tenants in subsidized housing are not eligible ⁠².

Alabama’s 32-degree shutoff rule, and no statewide discount

Alabama Public Service Commission rules require at least five days’ written notice before a shutoff for nonpayment. They also bar disconnecting residential electric or natural gas service on a day the National Weather Service forecasts 32°F or colder at that location ⁠¹⁰. Every utility must have staff who can extend a due date or set up installments, and must have tariff rules protecting customers whose life or health a shutoff could threaten ⁠¹⁰. The rules cover PSC-regulated utilities ⁠¹⁰; ask any other provider about its policy. Vendors that accept LIHEAP payments also agree to protect your service for at least 30 days ⁠³. We found no statewide low-income discount rate in ADECA’s plans or the PSC’s general rules.

Hearings: the 15-day and 45-day clocks

You can request a conference or fair hearing if you are denied, if your application is not decided within 15 days (unless you caused the delay), if you dispute the amount under the chart, or if you disagree with the eligibility decision ⁠³. Send a written request to the agency or ADECA within 45 days. The agency must respond within five calendar days, and the hearing must be decided within 45 days. ADECA makes the final ruling ⁠³.

See the Alabama hub or the energy assistance comparison.