Delaware energy and utility bill assistance: DEAP, crisis aid and weatherization (2026-27)

Who handles DEAP in Delaware: Catholic Charities, ECA and First State

Delaware does not divide DEAP by county. Each contractor runs one part of the program statewide:

• Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Wilmington calls itself the statewide administrator for heating assistance. It runs intake offices in Wilmington (New Castle County), Dover (Kent) and Georgetown (Sussex) ⁠².
• Energy Coordinating Agency (ECA) reviews documents for applications started on the ASSIST portal ⁠⁸. After the most recent procurement, ECA also replaced Catholic Charities as the agency that pays energy vendors ⁠¹. It handles intake for weatherization too ⁠⁹.
• First State Community Action Agency (FSCAA) runs the Summer Cooling Assistance Program and the Replacing/Repairing Heaters & Conserving Energy Program (RRHACE), along with energy education ⁠¹⁠¹⁰.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC), not DHSS, runs weatherization under an agreement between the two departments ⁠¹. Applying for DEAP does not put you on the weatherization list. The application form has a separate box asking whether you want weatherization ⁠⁵.

The 60% of state median income test for Program Year 2027

Delaware uses the higher federal option of 60% of state median income (SMI) instead of 150% of the poverty guidelines. It applies that limit to heating, cooling, crisis and weatherization alike ⁠⁶. For a household of four, the PY 2027 limit is $77,654. The 2026 poverty-based alternative would be $49,500 ⁠³. The FFY 2026 limit for four was $75,659 ⁠⁷.

Catholic Charities labels its chart as gross income ⁠². The State Plan says Delaware counts income after federal, state and city payroll taxes are deducted. Social Security and pensions are counted net of health insurance deductions ⁠¹. Catholic Charities asks for three months of income documents for every adult in the household ⁠².

Eligibility does not guarantee a payment. Catholic Charities warns that funding is limited and depends on how many households apply ⁠². Delaware pays certified applications in priority order: one point for each member who is 60 or older, under 6 or disabled, highest scores first. Older and disabled applicants can also have their applications processed early ⁠¹.

How DEAP sets a heating benefit by fuel

Each eligible household gets one heating benefit per season, paid directly to the utility or fuel company ⁠². The amount falls within a range for your main heating fuel, adjusted for income and household size ⁠³.

Source: DEAP PY 2027 Income and Benefit Guidelines ⁠³.

Renters face special rules. If heat is included in your rent, the PY 2027 guidelines say you are not eligible ⁠³. In subsidized housing where you pay for heat separately, the benefit is a flat $177 when rent is $685 a month or less. Above $685, the regular matrix applies ⁠³. Unused benefit money goes back to the state. In FFY 2026, utility benefits had to be used by March 31 and delivered-fuel benefits by April 30 ⁠¹.

Summer Cooling Assistance Program: bill credits and window units

Delaware’s cooling component, the Summer Cooling Assistance Program (SCAP), has two parts ⁠¹:

• SCAP Electric. A flat credit on summer electric bills. Delaware publishes no cooling matrix because the amount depends on the money left in summer, divided equally among eligible households ⁠¹. The FFY 2026 range was $1 to $1,000 ⁠⁶.
• SCAP A/C. A room air conditioner, delivered and installed, for LIHEAP-eligible households. A household can get one only once every 10 years unless it can justify a replacement, for example with a police report for a stolen unit ⁠¹.

SCAP is aimed at households with a member who is 60 or older, has a disability, is 5 or younger, or has asthma, COPD or another chronic breathing condition. It is extended to others only when funds allow ⁠¹. In FFY 2026, SCAP applications ran April 1 to August 15, and cooling benefits ran May 1 to August 31 ⁠¹. FSCAA delivers the air conditioners ⁠¹⁰.

Energy Crisis Intervention Program: what counts as a Delaware crisis

The Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) runs year-round ⁠⁶. Under the FFY 2026 State Plan, a household under the 60% SMI limit qualifies when all of these apply ⁠¹:

• A threat. Weather in the next 72 hours threatens someone’s health or safety, or the state has declared a disaster or emergency.
• No resources. The household cannot pay to fix the problem and expects no help within 48 hours.
• An energy emergency. Service is disconnected, a disconnection notice has arrived, the household is on a payment arrangement to avoid shutoff, or a delivered-fuel tank is empty or below one-quarter with no further deliveries.

Normally the weather test means a forecast heat index of 95°F or more, or a temperature of 40°F or less. For the 2026 program year, DHSS waived that threshold so households could file crisis applications in any weather ⁠¹. The PY 2027 plan was not yet posted when this guide was reviewed, so it is not yet known whether the waiver continues.

ECIP pays the amount needed to end the crisis. The FFY 2026 caps per household per year were $2,500 for utility bills, $2,500 for delivered fuel and $10,000 for emergency repair of heating or cooling equipment ⁠¹. A life-threatening crisis, such as a household member on life support or an oxygen or CPAP machine, must be resolved within 18 hours of applying ⁠¹. Furnace repair and replacement for crisis cases is handled through RRHACE ⁠¹⁠¹⁰.

Applying for DEAP heating help in winter 2026-27

1. Pick your route

   Applications for PY 2027 opened August 1, 2026 and close March 31, 2027 ⁠⁵. First-time applicants and households of 10 or more must call a Catholic Charities office for an intake appointment: New Castle 302-654-9295, Kent 302-674-1782 or Sussex 302-856-6310 ⁠⁴. Returning households can apply on the Catholic Charities online form ⁠⁴. The ASSIST portal is another option; after applying there, you upload documents to ECA with your ASSIST case number ⁠⁸.

2. Gather identity papers for everyone

   You need Social Security cards, or a Social Security Administration letter, for every household member older than 6 months. No other proof of the number is accepted ⁠⁴. Also bring proof of citizenship or qualified immigrant status, a photo ID and proof of Delaware residency ⁠²⁠⁴.

3. Gather income and housing proof

   Bring three months of pay stubs and award letters for SSI, Social Security, pensions, unemployment, TANF or child support ⁠². Use the Supplemental Income Information Form if someone has no income ⁠². Bring a lease, subsidized rent recertification or landlord verification form, or proof that you own the home ⁠⁵.

4. Attach your energy bills

   Include current copies of your main heating bill and your electric bill. Mark on the form whether you are shut off, have a disconnection or past-due notice, or have less than 25% fuel left ⁠⁵.

5. Submit a complete, signed file

   Incomplete applications are delayed or not processed ⁠⁴.

6. Watch for the eligibility letter

   Once your benefit is funded, the state mails a letter with the amount. It aims to do this within 7 business days ⁠¹. ECA tells ASSIST applicants to expect 6 to 8 weeks for processing ⁠⁸. Keep paying your bill until the letter arrives ⁠⁴.

7. Ask for a hearing if you disagree

   Start with an informal conference at the office that served you. If that does not settle it, that office arranges a formal fair hearing. You can appeal a denial, a change in amount, the form of payment, or a delay. You may bring an attorney, relative or friend ⁠¹.

LIHEAP never charges an application fee. ACF tells anyone offered a “LIHEAP grant” for a fee to call the HHS fraud hotline at 1-800-447-8477 ⁠¹⁵.

DNREC weatherization: 200% of poverty and a ranked waiting list

DNREC’s Weatherization Assistance Program uses 200% of the 2026 poverty guidelines: $43,280 for two people, $66,000 for four and $111,440 for eight, plus $11,360 for each extra person ⁠⁹. The State Plan also makes LIHEAP-eligible households categorically eligible for LIHEAP-funded weatherization ⁠¹. Call ECA at 302-504-6111 to book an appointment ⁠⁹. Renters must return a signed landlord authorization form before the application is complete ⁠¹.

Eligible households go on a waiting list ranked by need, age, special needs and yearly funding. Anyone not served within 12 months must reapply to confirm income ⁠⁹. A crew audits the home, then air-seals, insulates attics, walls and floors, seals ducts, insulates pipes and water heaters, and can do one heating system maintenance check ⁠⁹. An adult must be present at each visit. The program does not routinely replace windows, doors or furnaces and does not service air conditioners ⁠⁹. DNREC keeps the average cost per home at $10,000 ⁠¹.

Delaware’s 2025 shutoff law and the Energize Delaware funds

The General Assembly tightened shutoff rules in 2025 (85 Del. Laws c. 24, approved May 22, 2025, effective 90 days later). The law amended the utility rules in Title 26 and the parallel rules for municipal utilities in Title 22 ⁠¹¹:

• Cold. No gas or electric shutoff for nonpayment when the 8 a.m. temperature at an airport in your county is 35°F or below ⁠¹¹.
• Heat. No electric shutoff on a day when the 8 a.m. National Weather Service forecast predicts a heat index of 95°F or more ⁠¹¹.
• Holidays and timing. No shutoffs from December 21 through January 1, and none outside 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Thursday, except for safety emergencies ⁠¹¹.
• Notice. During the heating season (November 1 to March 31) and the cooling season (June 1 to September 30), you must get written notice at least 14 days before a shutoff. The notice must refer you to LIHEAP ⁠¹¹.
• Medical certificates. A signed statement from a physician, physician assistant or advanced nurse practitioner blocks a shutoff for 120 days. You can renew it if you make good-faith payments ⁠¹¹.

The FFY 2026 State Plan still quotes the older 32°F and 105°F limits, which the 2025 law replaced ⁠¹⁠¹¹.

Delaware has no statewide low-income utility rate. Delmarva Power has proposed a 20% discount on distribution charges for low-income residential customers in its pending rate case, PSC Docket 25-1555. The Commission will decide after evidentiary hearings ⁠¹⁴. Until then, the remaining state-created bill help is the Delaware Energy Fund. It was set up by House Substitute 1 for House Bill 50, signed July 16, 2025, and is run by Energize Delaware ⁠¹². It gives a one-time credit of up to $300, first come, first served, to households below 350% of poverty ($112,525 a year for four on its chart). You must first complete an Energize Delaware energy efficiency visit ⁠¹². The separate Delmarva Power Customer Relief Fund has spent all its money. Delmarva customers can now apply to the Delaware Energy Fund instead ⁠¹²⁠¹³.

See also the Delaware hub, the Delaware cash assistance guide and the 50-state energy assistance comparison.