South Carolina energy and utility bill assistance: LIHEAP and weatherization (2026)

Thirteen Community Action Agencies split the 46 counties

OEO’s county directory lists 13 agencies that take LIHEAP applications ⁠⁴.

Cherokee and Spartanburg residents: Piedmont Community Actions runs other programs there, but OEO lists GLEAMNS offices in Gaffney (864-489-6140) and Spartanburg (864-707-5029) for LIHEAP ⁠⁴.

The 60% of state median income test

South Carolina uses 60% of state median income (SMI) for heating, cooling and crisis help ⁠². For a household of four that is $61,525 a year, and the limit beats 150% of the 2026 poverty line at every household size up to eight. OEO’s chart matches the FFY 2026 SMI figures published by HHS, which states had to adopt by October 1, 2025 ⁠¹⁠⁶. Count the gross income of every household member 18 and older for the 30 days before you apply ⁠¹. One snag: OEO’s chart lists $2,660 as the one-person monthly limit, but the annual figure divided by 12 is $2,666 ⁠¹.

Some local agency pages are out of date. SHARE’s LIHEAP page still describes the program as serving households at or below 150% of the poverty guidelines ⁠⁹. The state’s 60% SMI threshold is higher, so do not rule yourself out based on an old local page.

How OEO’s benefit add-ons build your payment

South Carolina does not use an income-band chart. Every eligible household gets a base nonemergency benefit, and set amounts are added for each listed circumstance up to a seasonal cap ⁠². A household with 20% or more of its income going to utilities counts as having a high energy burden. “Extremely low income” means 30% of SMI or less ⁠². The draft FFY 2027 plan changes almost every amount ⁠³:

FFY 2026 amounts come from the federally accepted plan ⁠²; FFY 2027 amounts are from OEO’s revised draft dated August 2026 and may change before approval ⁠³.

The draft also shifts money away from crisis aid. In FFY 2026 the plan set aside 50% of funds for year-round crisis assistance, 10% for heating and 5% for cooling. The FFY 2027 draft budgets 25% for crisis, 25% for heating and 15% for cooling ⁠²⁠³. After you are approved, your vendor bills you for the rest of the cost in the normal way ⁠².

What counts as an energy crisis in South Carolina

Under the FFY 2026 plan, you are in a crisis if you face a disconnection with a scheduled date, need service restored, or have a weather-related energy emergency. A vulnerable household (someone 60 or older, someone with a documented disability, or a child 5 or under) with a bill due also qualifies, as does a household with a high energy burden ⁠². The crisis payment is whatever resolves the emergency, up to $1,000 ⁠². Eligible general emergencies must be processed within 48 hours (2 business days) and life-threatening ones within 18 hours (1 business day), counted from when all required documents are in ⁠². The CAA then makes a pledge to the vendor ⁠².

The draft FFY 2027 definition is narrower. Service must already be off, disconnection must be scheduled within 5 days, or the fuel tank must be nearly or completely empty, because of a documented financial emergency in the past 90 days. Examples include a wage earner’s death or departure, job loss, a loss of 40% or more of work hours, or a medical emergency. A natural disaster also counts. A life-threatening crisis would require a “medical necessity” flag on your energy account plus a past-due notice ⁠³.

Heating from October, cooling from May, crisis on a calendar year

For FFY 2026 the plan runs heating assistance from October 1, 2025 to April 30, 2026 and cooling from May 1 to September 30, 2026, with crisis aid all year ⁠². The draft FFY 2027 dates follow the same pattern: heating October 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027, then cooling May 1 to September 30, 2027 ⁠³. South Carolina runs year-round crisis help on the calendar year, January 1 to December 31. That means FFY 2026 money can still be spent through December 31, 2026 ⁠². If a CAA runs out of money, it can prioritize emergencies, limit repeat visits or reduce benefit amounts until Congress releases more money ⁠¹.

Applying at your county’s Community Action Agency

1. Find your agency

   Open OEO’s Find Help page, choose your county and note the LIHEAP office and phone number ⁠⁴. Do not send an application to OEO; it does not have or accept LIHEAP applications ⁠¹.

2. Ask how that office takes applications

   Intake differs by agency. The state plan allows documents to be sent in person, by mail, by email, through a portal or by secure drop box ⁠². The draft FFY 2027 plan names the LITT Portal (sc.mylitt.com) as the statewide online application, so ask your agency whether it accepts applications there ⁠³.

3. Gather identity and residency proof

   OEO requires proof of U.S. citizenship or qualified immigrant status for every household member, plus government-issued ID showing your South Carolina address ⁠¹. SHARE also asks for Social Security cards for each household member ⁠⁹.

4. Collect 30 days of gross income

   Bring pay stubs, benefit letters and other income proof for every member 18 or older, covering the 30 days up to your application date ⁠¹.

5. Bring the bill that shows your need

   You must have a current need, such as an energy bill due, and the bill must be in an adult household member’s name ⁠¹. Bring any disconnection notice ⁠⁹. If your energy is included in your rent, LIHEAP can cover only the heating or cooling part, never general rent, and it never pays a landlord or the household directly ⁠².

6. Flag an emergency immediately

   Tell intake staff if service is off, disconnection is scheduled or someone’s health depends on power. That starts the 48-hour or 18-hour clock ⁠².

7. Watch the 10-business-day clock

   Nonemergency applications must be processed within 10 business days of submission. You get a voucher showing the amount pledged to your vendor ⁠².

Weatherization: 200% of poverty and a different county map

The Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) makes homes use less energy instead of paying bills. OEO’s 2026 chart uses 200% of the federal poverty guidelines: $31,920 for one person, $43,280 for two and $66,000 for four ⁠⁵. A household receiving SSI or Aid to Families with Dependent Children (the cash program now called TANF) is income-eligible automatically. Priority goes to people 60 or older, households with a member with a disability, and households with children under 18 ⁠⁵. Under the state plan, each applicant gets zero to five priority points, adding one each for those three groups, high energy burden (at least 20% of income) and high energy use ⁠².

Renters need the owner’s permission, and the rent may not go up for one year after the work is done ⁠². LIHEAP-funded weatherization in South Carolina averages $10,526 per unit. Because it is exempt from DOE’s cost-effectiveness rules, it can pay for air conditioners, doors and windows, and for repairs above DOE’s $500 incidental-repair cap ⁠². The weatherization crew is often not your LIHEAP agency. OEO lists a separate weatherization contact for each county ⁠⁴. Greenville County, for example, uses SHARE for LIHEAP but the contact listed under the Aiken/Barnwell agency for weatherization ⁠⁴.

Winter medical certificates and South Carolina’s shutoff rules

South Carolina law and Public Service Commission rules, not a discount program, are the main statewide protection. Neither OEO’s LIHEAP page nor the FFY 2026 plan lists a statewide low-income utility rate ⁠¹⁠². Under R.103-352 (electric) and R.103-452 (gas), a regulated utility may not cut residential service from December through March if you give it a certificate signed by a licensed physician. The certificate must say that a shutoff would be especially dangerous to a household member’s health, and you must sign that you cannot pay in installments. You must deliver it at least 3 days before the shutoff or hand it to the crew ⁠⁷. A certificate lasts 31 days and can be renewed up to three times for 30 days each ⁠⁷. The state plan says Dominion Energy South Carolina and Duke Energy follow this moratorium ⁠².

The same rules require at least 10 days’ mailed notice before a shutoff. They also require a deferred payment plan that lets you pay at least one-sixth of the past-due balance each month for up to six months while keeping the account current ⁠⁷. Electric shutoffs are limited to Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., unless the utility can take payment and reconnect after hours ⁠⁷. Year-round, a “special needs account” covers a customer with a certificate from a licensed medical doctor, physician assistant, nurse practitioner or advanced-practice registered nurse. Alzheimer’s disease or dementia also qualifies. Each electrical utility must have written shutoff procedures for these accounts and for extreme heat or cold ⁠⁸.

Appealing a South Carolina LIHEAP denial

If a CAA denies you or does not act within its time limits, file a written appeal with that agency within 30 calendar days of its denial notice and ask for a hearing ⁠². If the CAA upholds the denial, write to OEO within 20 calendar days of its hearing decision ⁠². Send it to Office of Economic Opportunity, Attention: Legal Counsel, 1205 Pendleton Street, Columbia, SC 29201. OEO’s LIHEAP page lists Suite 355; the plan lists Suite 366 ⁠¹⁠². If OEO also denies the appeal, you have 20 more days to request a hearing officer, who must hold the hearing within 30 days. The disputed funds stay set aside until there is a final decision ⁠².

Compare South Carolina with other states on the energy and utility assistance page.