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

What changed in North Dakota LIHEAP for 2026-27

Under HHS’s “Weather Any Weather” change, benefits are no longer tied to the old October 1 to May 31 heating season. An approved household keeps getting help with its approved primary and secondary heat sources until its review date ⁠¹. Each household gets a review packet by mail and in the Self-Service Portal the month before its review is due. If you do not return it, benefits end on the last day of your eligibility period ⁠¹.

The FFY 2027 State Plan notice adds a limit. Eligibility continues year-round, but heating benefits are still subject to the established heating season and to available funding. Emergency help, furnace cleaning, repair and replacement, and other premium benefits stay available through the summer ⁠². North Dakota does not run a routine cooling bill program. The state can start one if funding allows, in unusual weather or under a disaster declaration ⁠¹³. What it does offer is help buying or repairing an air conditioner or fan for LIHEAP-approved households, delivered through Community Action ⁠¹.

How the 60% SMI test counts your income

The limit applies to adjusted income, not gross pay. The application asks about income received in the prior month and the current month, plus what you expect the following month, and the worker converts it to a yearly figure ⁠¹. Before comparing that figure with the limit, HHS subtracts 27% of earned income, medical expenses, child care costs and child support or alimony you pay ⁠⁴. That is why the checklist asks for receipts for expenses paid over the last 12 months ⁠¹.

Both owners and renters can apply. Renters in subsidized housing whose heat is included in the rent are not eligible ⁠⁴. Once approved, you must report certain changes within 10 days: a move, a change in heating type, a person joining or leaving the household, or a rent subsidy starting or ending ⁠¹.

How the LIHEAP Share Percentage sets your benefit

North Dakota does not pay a lump-sum grant. It assigns each household a LIHEAP Share Percentage and pays that share of every authorized heating bill directly to the vendor. You pay the rest as your co-payment ⁠⁵. The share depends on where your annualized income falls as a percentage of state median income:

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Share percentages are from policy manual section 415-30-10 ⁠⁵. Dollar bands are our calculation from the $79,532 limit for four, which equals 60% of median income ⁠².

The share is generally set from your income at application and applies to every eligible bill during your 12-month eligibility period ⁠¹⁠⁵. To shrink your own part, you can choose a vendor that offers a cash discount or a 12-month payment plan for your share, and HHS suggests both in its FAQ ⁠³.

Renters whose heat is in the rent get a monthly check

If heat is an undesignated part of your rent and you get no rent subsidy, LIHEAP pays you a monthly renter benefit instead of paying a vendor ⁠⁶. The amount depends on your income group and the building’s fuel type:

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HHS says these values are set each fiscal year and may change with funding ⁠⁶.

Emergency Assistance, Energy Share and Community Action furnaces

Emergency Assistance is a separate program run by the same human service zone offices, and requests are accepted all year. You do not need a shutoff notice. If you cannot pay your co-payment, LIHEAP can pay up to $500 per season toward heating costs, including reconnection charges ⁠⁷. HHS says eligibility for emergency help is stricter than for regular heating help, and the worker first helps you set up a payment plan with the vendor for any part you can afford ⁠³⁠⁷. Under the state’s emergency procedure, the zone office must take some action that resolves the crisis within 48 hours, or within 18 hours if the situation is life-threatening. It must also publicize a 24-hour number ⁠¹⁰. That action can be a call to the vendor to hold off a disconnection; the bill does not have to be paid within that window ⁠¹⁰.

Electric bills work differently. When electricity is not your primary heat, HHS sends you with your LIHEAP approval notice to Community Action for Energy Share ⁠¹. Energy Share of North Dakota is a private nonprofit. Under the manual, it takes the applications for electric-utility emergencies, decides eligibility and sends approved payments through the LIHEAP system ⁠⁹. You must meet LIHEAP income guidelines to receive these payments ⁠⁹.

For a furnace that is unsafe, not working and not worth repairing, Community Action Agencies handle replacement for LIHEAP-approved homeowners and for renters who are responsible for furnace upkeep ⁠⁸. Your cost share depends on income. Households at 0-20% of median income pay nothing. Those at 21-40% pay 15% of the cost, and those at 41-60% pay 30%. The share is capped at $500, and a waiver is possible ⁠⁸. Routine furnace cleaning (up to $500) and chimney cleaning (up to $150) are paid once per eligibility period with prior authorization ⁠⁴.

Applying for LIHEAP in North Dakota, step by step

1. Choose how to apply

   Apply online in the Self-Service Portal, print the application and return it to the Customer Support Center or your human service zone office, or ask for one by mail ⁠¹. For an emergency (a shutoff notice, an empty fuel tank or a needed minor repair), call the Customer Support Center at 1-866-614-6005 or 701-328-1000 first ⁠¹.

2. Get help if you need it

   Community Options, an HHS partner, can send an outreach worker to your home. Call 1-800-823-2417 ⁠¹. A zone eligibility worker, friend or relative can also help ⁠⁴.

3. Gather documents

   You need income proof for the prior month, the current month and the expected next month. Add proof of medical, child care and child support or alimony expenses paid in the last 12 months, a copy of your heating bill, and your lease if you rent ⁠¹.

4. Answer verification requests quickly

   If your application is incomplete, the zone office must send a Request for Verification within 15 days, usually with a 10-day deadline. Applications still missing information after 30 days may be denied ⁠¹¹.

5. Watch for the Notice of Eligibility

   HHS must approve or deny within 45 days of receiving your signed application ⁠³.

6. Line up extra services

   With your approval notice, contact your Community Action Agency for weatherization, furnace repair or a cooling device. Ask the Customer Support Center to schedule a furnace cleaning with the vendor you choose ⁠¹.

7. Appeal if you disagree

   First ask your zone office to recheck the decision. If you still disagree, send a written hearing request (form SFN 162) within 30 days of the notice date. If you file in time, your benefits stay the same until the decision ⁠¹². You can also appeal if you get no written notice within 45 days ⁠³.

Weatherization through North Dakota’s eight Community Action regions

The Weatherization Assistance Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and run by the Department of Commerce’s Division of Community Services. It pays no bills. An energy auditor visits the home and picks measures from nine categories, including air sealing, attic, wall, floor and foundation insulation, windows, doors, furnace efficiency work and supporting building repairs ⁠¹⁴. Each measure must save at least $1 for every $1 spent, which rules out cosmetic work and general rehabilitation ⁠¹⁴.

Commerce’s 2026 guidelines set the income limit at 200% of poverty: $31,920 for one person, $43,280 for two, $66,000 for four and $111,440 for eight, plus $11,360 for each additional person ⁠¹⁴. LIHEAP households are automatically eligible. That matters in North Dakota because the LIHEAP limit for four ($79,532) is higher than the weatherization limit ⁠²⁠¹⁴. A home can be weatherized only once unless the last job was more than 15 years ago ⁠¹⁴. Apply online on the Commerce page, which forwards your form to your region’s agency, or call that agency ⁠¹⁴:

North Dakota’s disconnection rules: no winter ban, but a 30-day stay

North Dakota has no statewide low-income utility discount rate in its official program materials, and its Public Service Commission electric rule has no winter shutoff moratorium. What the rule (N.D. Admin. Code 69-09-02-05.1) does give is procedure ⁠¹⁵. An electric utility must give written notice before disconnecting for nonpayment, and you then have 10 days to pay or to set up a deferred installment agreement. Customers 65 or older and customers with disabilities must get the notice by personal delivery ⁠¹⁵. If you tell the utility within those 10 days that dangerous health conditions exist, or that you are 65 or older or have a disability, you can delay disconnection for up to 30 days ⁠¹⁵. Utilities cannot disconnect on a Friday, weekend, state holiday or the day before one, or after noon on any day ⁠¹⁵. Each fall, utilities mail a postcard asking whether you want your social service office notified of a pending disconnection. Saying yes lets the zone office step in with Emergency Assistance ⁠¹⁵. Cooperatives and municipal utilities may follow their own policies, so ask yours.

For other programs in the state, see the North Dakota assistance hub or compare states on the energy and utility assistance page.