Rhode Island heating assistance: LIHEAP, crisis grants and weatherization (2026-27)

Which of the seven community action agencies serves your town

DHS assigns every Rhode Island city and town to exactly one agency, and you apply with that agency ⁠⁸. Tri-County Community Action has two LIHEAP offices, one in North Providence and one in North Kingstown ⁠⁸.

Source: DHS agency list ⁠⁸. Each agency also runs weatherization for the same towns.

The 60% of state median income test for FFY 2027

Rhode Island does not use 150% of the poverty guidelines. It uses the other federal option: gross household income at or below 60% of the state median income, which is the higher limit for every household size ⁠³. The FFY 2027 limits took effect October 1, 2026. They rose from $81,254 to $83,481 a year for a family of four ⁠⁴⁠⁷. Applicants can be checked against 12-month, 3-month or 1-month figures. For four people those are $83,481, $20,870 and $6,959 ⁠⁴. You do not need to receive public assistance or have an unpaid bill, and renters qualify as well as owners ⁠².

Income is counted from the four weeks before you apply, using gross figures (before taxes and deductions) ⁠⁹. Income of full-time students aged 18 to 23 does not count if you send a class schedule showing at least 12 credits ⁠⁹. Every adult claiming no income must sign the Adult Household Member with No Income Form ⁠⁹.

What the FFY 2026 grant matrix paid by fuel type

The primary grant depends on income, household size, fuel type and minimum delivery requirements ⁠⁶. DHS published a “moderate” matrix for FFY 2026, valid October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, depending on funding ⁠⁷. As of October 20, 2026, DHS had not posted FFY 2027 grant amounts on any official page this guide could open. DHS sends grant notices from December 1, 2026, after federal funds arrive ⁠⁵.

Scroll the table sideways to see every column.

Source: DHS FFY 2026 grant table ⁠⁷. Households whose heat is included in the rent got $400 paid directly to the household, plus $80 toward a separate electric bill ($50 in subsidized housing) ⁠⁷.

Rhode Island Energy gas and electric customers get one more layer of help. The LIHEAP Enhancement Charge, a monthly fee on Rhode Island Energy gas and electric customers set by the Public Utilities Commission at $0.78 for 2026, pays a supplemental grant. DHS told regulators this grant was $350 per recipient for the FFY 2026 season ⁠¹⁵. Some SNAP households in subsidized housing with heat included in the rent get a nominal $20.01 LIHEAP payment ⁠⁶.

Crisis grants: the quarter-tank and $300 rules

Rhode Island runs winter crisis assistance only, through April 15 ⁠⁶. A crisis means you cannot keep heat in the home because a regulated utility shut off service for nonpayment, you cannot pay for deliverable fuel, or the heating system broke down ⁠⁶. The FFY 2026 plan capped crisis help at $1,500 ⁠⁶. It also set these conditions ⁠⁶:

• Deliverable fuel. You must have a quarter tank or less, and $300 or less left on your primary grant. The crisis grant is 100 gallons.
• Utilities. Service must be off, or you have moved and cannot get service turned on without paying toward an old balance. The grant covers the share needed to restore service.
• Heating system. Help is available when the system is inoperable.
• Timing. The agency must resolve the crisis within 48 hours, or 18 hours when it is life-threatening. A crisis counts as life-threatening when it is, or is forecast to be, below 20°F within 24 hours.

You must already be certified for a primary grant before a crisis grant. After that, a phone call to your agency is enough; crisis requests cannot be made online ⁠⁶. When money runs short, households with an older adult, a person with a disability or a young child can request crisis grants for several weeks before everyone else ⁠⁶.

Applying for the 2026-27 season through your CAA

1. Find your agency

   Use the table above, or the links on the DHS LIHEAP page ⁠²⁠⁸.

2. Choose how to apply

   DHS’s online application is open to new applicants, and agencies also take applications in person and by mail ⁠²⁠⁶. DHS’s page tells new applicants to apply in person, and agencies will arrange an intake site for older or disabled applicants ⁠². If you got LIHEAP last year, your agency usually mails you a renewal application ⁠².

3. Gather documents

   You need photo ID, proof of Social Security numbers for everyone in the household, and an ID document for each other member ⁠⁹. Add a recent heating and electric bill, or a lease or Landlord Information Form if heat is included in your rent ⁠⁹. Bring proof of address and four weeks of gross income ⁠⁹.

4. Put the utility account in your name if you can

   To get Rhode Island Energy’s discount rate and certain payment plans, the bill must be in the LIHEAP applicant’s name ⁠⁹⁠⁵.

5. Apply before April 15, 2027

   Agencies began processing applications on October 1, 2026 ⁠⁵.

6. Watch for your confirmation letter

   It shows the amount paid and the vendor it went to, so you can check the credit on your bill or delivery ticket ⁠⁶. If you have no decision 90 days after the agency receives your application, you can file an appeal ⁠¹⁰.

7. Call for a crisis grant if you run low

   Once certified, call your agency when the tank is near empty or service is off ⁠⁶.

Weatherization and heating-system work after LIHEAP approval

In Rhode Island, the Weatherization Assistance Program uses LIHEAP eligibility: households must qualify for LIHEAP and should apply for LIHEAP first ⁠¹¹. The FFY 2026 plan sets the weatherization income limit at 60% of state median income ⁠⁶. For a family of four that is $83,481, well above the 200%-of-poverty test the U.S. Department of Energy uses by default. Agencies take weatherization applications year-round. Renters qualify with the landlord’s approval ⁠¹¹. The work can include insulation, draft reduction, proper ventilation, and smoke and carbon monoxide detectors ⁠¹¹. Households with an older adult, a person with a disability or a young child move up the waiting list ⁠⁶. The LIHEAP application asks whether you want insulation help, which starts the referral ⁠¹⁰.

Rhode Island Energy discounts, debt forgiveness and the November-to-May shutoff ban

Discount Rate Program. LIHEAP, SNAP or SSI households get 25% off Rhode Island Energy gas and electric bills. Medicaid, RI Works or public assistance households get 30% ⁠¹². You must send the utility a confirmation letter through its secure upload portal ⁠¹².

Forgiveness Program (AMP). Customers on a discount rate who are also approved for LIHEAP can enroll if they owe at least $300 that is more than 60 days past due. On-time installments earn forgiveness of up to $1,500 a year. If service is already off, a down payment is required. The enrollment line is 1-855-743-1104 ⁠¹³.

Winter moratorium. Under the Public Utilities Commission’s termination rules, LIHEAP recipients are protected status customers. So are households receiving unemployment, those where all adults are 62 or older, and households with a resident who has a disability or a serious illness ⁠¹⁴. From 12:01 a.m. November 1 to 11:59 p.m. May 1, a gas or electric utility cannot shut off a protected status customer for nonpayment ⁠¹⁴. The rule was amended effective June 23, 2025 to move the end date from April 15 to May 1. Older material, including the FFY 2026 State Plan, still shows April 15 ⁠¹⁴⁠⁶.

The rule also protects households that are not protected status customers. During the same period, a utility may not cut off service that is the primary heat source unless more than $500 is delinquent ($200 when it is not the primary heat source) ⁠¹⁴. Year-round, it may not shut off a home with a child under 2 when the family has a financial hardship and the service was not cut before the child’s birth ⁠¹⁴. No shutoffs are allowed on days the National Weather Service has a heat advisory or excessive heat warning in effect for Rhode Island ⁠¹⁴. A LIHEAP recipient can renegotiate a utility payment plan once the grant or promise arrives ⁠¹⁴. These rules cover regulated gas and electric utilities, not heating oil or propane dealers.

Appealing a CAA’s LIHEAP decision

A denial letter gives the reason and includes an appeal form. DHS’s page gives 15 days from receipt to appeal; the State Plan says 15 business days ⁠²⁠⁶. To be safe, file within 15 calendar days using the First Appeal Request Form, available in English, Spanish and Portuguese ⁠². The first hearing is with an impartial representative of the agency. You may bring a representative, present evidence and review your file, and the agency decides within five business days of the hearing ⁠⁶. If you disagree, you can request a second appeal with DHS ⁠⁶. A denied household is also screened for the Good Neighbor Energy Fund, a separate charity fund ⁠⁶. To report LIHEAP fraud, call the DHS Fraud Unit at 401-574-8175 ⁠¹.

For other help in the state, see the Rhode Island assistance hub or compare limits on the energy and utility assistance page.