Louisiana energy and utility bill assistance: LIHEAP and weatherization (2026)

How LHC splits Louisiana LIHEAP among 39 parish agencies

Thirty-nine subgrantees cover all 64 parishes for bill assistance ⁠⁴. Some are private community action agencies, such as Total Community Action in Orleans Parish and SMILE Community Action Agency for Acadia, Iberia, Lafayette, St. Martin and Jefferson Davis parishes. Others are parish governments, such as the East Baton Rouge Office of Social Services and the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury Human Services Department ⁠¹. The agency checks your documents and enters your file into LHC’s Hancock Energy Software, which calculates the benefit. The agency cannot change that amount ⁠³.

LHC pays the electric, gas or propane company directly. In the FFY 2027 plan, 7 of 155 energy vendors were not set up to take LHC payments; in those cases the local agency pays and is reimbursed ⁠³. One gap to know about: the Avoyelles agency stopped serving Pointe Coupee Parish. LHC is taking Pointe Coupee applications in-house until it finds a new subgrantee ⁠³, even though the website map still lists Avoyelles for that parish ⁠¹.

The 60% of state median income test and what counts

All three bill-payment components use the same limit: gross household income at or below 60% of Louisiana’s estimated state median income ⁠³. Federal law lets states use whichever is higher, 150% of poverty or 60% of state median income ⁠³. For a family of four, Louisiana’s FFY 2026 figure of $58,882 is $9,382 above the $49,500 that 150% of the 2026 poverty guidelines would allow ⁠²⁠¹⁰. The notice took effect October 1, 2025 and says the limits change on October 1, 2026 ⁠². As of October 20, 2026, the FFY 2026 table is still the one posted on LHC’s site ⁠¹. Ask your agency whether a new chart applies to your application date.

Louisiana does not grant automatic eligibility for SNAP, SSI or TANF. The FFY 2027 plan answers “No” to categorical eligibility, so every household proves its income ⁠³. There is no asset test ⁠³. Countable income includes wages, net self-employment income, Social Security (counted without the Medicare deduction), SSI, unemployment, pensions, TANF, VA benefits, alimony, rental income and regular contributions. Child support, loans and the earned income of children under 18 are not counted ⁠³. The April 2026 Service Delivery Guide added Section 8 utility reimbursements to the excluded list ⁠⁶.

Renters in subsidized housing have their utility allowance subtracted from their energy cost. If the allowance is larger than the bill, they are not eligible. Applicants 60 and older are exempt from that rule ⁠³. If utilities are included in your rent, your landlord must sign an agreement to pass the benefit on as a rent reduction ⁠³.

Louisiana’s energy-burden benefit matrix: $200 to $800 a season

The software divides your highest monthly energy bill by your household’s gross monthly income. That percentage, your energy burden, and your household size set the payment ⁠³. LHC’s FFY 2027 plan reports no change to the matrix from FFY 2026 ⁠⁴.

Add $100 once per household if anyone is 60 or older, disabled, or age 5 or younger. No payment can exceed $800 ⁠³.

For example, a family of four with $3,000 a month in gross income and a $330 electric bill has an 11% burden. They would get $400, or $500 if a member is in a priority group. Households reporting zero income receive the maximum for their size ⁠³. You can get one heating payment and one cooling payment per program year. LHC may issue supplemental payments to earlier recipients if money is left over ⁠³.

Season dates: FFY 2026 versus the proposed FFY 2027 calendar

LHC moved the seasons for FFY 2027. The table compares the two years.

Sources: FFY 2026 plan summary ⁠⁵; FFY 2027 proposed plan ⁠⁴. LHC’s public page still listed the FFY 2026 dates on October 20, 2026 ⁠¹.

Heating money not spent by March 15 moves to cooling ⁠³. By October 2026 the statewide online portal was marked closed. Cooling-season portal applications were paid between May 1 and July 15, 2026, and local agencies kept taking applications through September 30 or until funds ran out ⁠¹.

Louisiana crisis help: disconnect notices and the $1,000 cap

LHC defines a crisis as a heating or cooling energy source that has been disconnected, is scheduled for disconnection, or has run out, with no other resources to fix it. A declared disaster, public health emergency or supply shortage also counts ⁠³. The agency must resolve the crisis within 48 hours of a completed application, or 18 hours if a life is threatened, for example when someone depends on oxygen equipment ⁠³. For a medical emergency you must bring documentation. For extreme heat or cold, the agency can print the weather advisory ⁠³.

The benefit covers the amount on the disconnect notice. If service is already off, it covers reconnection costs, but not tampering fees, NSF fees, deposits, past-due amounts beyond the notice, or water, sewer or garbage charges ⁠⁴. You must have 30 days of usage history at the address. Propane and prepaid customers with less than 7 days of fuel left can bring a vendor’s written estimate instead of a notice ⁠⁴. Crisis help is first come, first served, and only one crisis payment is allowed in 12 months ⁠³.

The same $1,000 crisis cap applies to equipment repair or replacement. Since April 2026, that help is limited to homeowners who prove ownership, and the work must be done by a licensed professional ⁠⁶.

Applying with your parish agency or the seasonal LHC portal

1. Find your agency

   Open LHC’s Energy Assistance page, click your parish on the provider map, and note the phone number and hours ⁠¹. In Pointe Coupee Parish, contact LHC’s Energy Assistance Department at 225-763-8700, since LHC handles that parish’s intake ⁠²⁠³.

2. Choose your route

   For a crisis, call or visit the agency; the portal does not take crisis applications ⁠¹. For heating or cooling, use the statewide online portal while it is open at the start of each season, or apply with your agency by phone, mail, walk-in or its own online form ⁠³. Agencies must set aside a weekly day or time for applicants who are 60 or older or disabled ⁠³. A homebound person can name an authorized representative in a signed statement ⁠³.

3. Gather 30 days of paperwork

   Bring heating and cooling bills no older than 30 days and every pay stub from the past 30 days. Bring proof of unearned income such as Social Security, unemployment or pension statements, plus proof of address ⁠¹. Add any disconnect notice for a crisis ⁠¹.

4. Bring ID and Social Security cards for everyone

   The applicant needs a government photo ID ⁠¹. Since Act No. 351 of 2025 took effect on August 1, 2025, LHC requires a copy of the actual Social Security card for every household member, except a baby under 12 months who has not yet received a number ⁠⁵. The law also requires agencies to verify citizenship or qualified-alien status and to report applicants who are not citizens to the state and to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement ⁠⁵.

5. Fill any gaps quickly

   If something is missing, the agency completes a Required Documents Form with you that lists what is still needed ⁠³. During the 2026 cooling season, agencies contacted portal applicants about missing items between April and July ⁠¹.

6. Read your notice

   Approved applicants get a Client Qualification Notification letter showing the amount. A denial letter must be mailed within five business days ⁠³. LHC and its agencies never ask for account passwords or bank details, and LIHEAP has no application fee ⁠¹.

Weatherization through four regional agencies

The Weatherization Assistance Program is separate from bill payment. Four agencies handle it statewide: Quad Area Community Action Agency (Hammond), St. Mary Community Action Agency (Franklin), the DeSoto Parish Police Jury (Mansfield) and LaSalle Community Action Association ⁠⁷. LHC uses 200% of the federal poverty level for both DOE-funded and LIHEAP-funded homes ⁠⁹. Its last posted chart, for PY 2025 (July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026), allowed $64,300 for four ⁠⁸. At 200% of the 2026 guidelines the four-person figure is $66,000 ⁠¹⁰, but LHC had not posted a PY 2026 chart as of October 20, 2026.

Demand far exceeds capacity. The PY 2025 plan budgeted only 532 homes statewide, with $7,309,885 in DOE and LIHEAP funding ⁠⁹. Applicants are ranked on a waiting list. Points go to households with a member 60 or older, a person with a disability, or a child 17 or younger, to households spending at least 25% of income on energy, and for months already spent waiting ⁠³. Measures can include insulation, air sealing, HVAC and water heater repair or replacement, doors, windows and energy-related roof repair. The LIHEAP-funded average cost per home is $8,813 ⁠³. Renters can qualify if the landlord agrees not to raise the rent for at least 12 months ⁠³. Apply with four consecutive pay stubs for each working adult, a current energy bill, photo ID for every member 18 or older, and Social Security cards for all household members ⁠⁷.

Shutoff protections set by the Louisiana Public Service Commission

LHC’s LIHEAP plan lists no statewide low-income utility discount rate. The shutoff protection it cites is the Public Service Commission’s extreme-weather rule ⁠³. Electric and gas utilities may not disconnect a residential customer in a parish on a winter day when the previous day’s high stayed at or below 32°F and the National Weather Service forecasts that level for the next 24 hours. In summer, the rule applies on days the Weather Service issues a heat advisory for the parish ⁠³. Utilities that sign LHC’s vendor agreement accept LIHEAP pledges for households facing a shutoff ⁠³. Crisis help is first come, first served, so call your agency as soon as a disconnect notice arrives ⁠³.

Appealing a Louisiana LIHEAP denial in three levels

If you are denied, or your application is not acted on promptly, ask the local agency for a first-level review. It must answer in writing within 15 business days ⁠³. Next, send a written appeal to LHC at 2415 Quail Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808. The plan’s procedure sets 10 business days from the first decision, though another section allows 30 days, so file within 10 to be safe. LHC answers within 15 business days ⁠³. The third level is a hearing before an administrative law judge. It is scheduled within five business days of your request and held within 15 business days, and the written decision follows within 30 calendar days ⁠³. LHC reported no fair hearings in the prior federal fiscal year ⁠³.

To compare programs in other states, see the energy and utility assistance page.