Winter heating help in Connecticut

Do you qualify for a lower utility bill?

The days are getting shorter, the temperatures are dropping, and it’s time to bring out the sweaters. But as the crisp air moves in, so does your heating bill.

The cost of living keeps going up, and you’re not alone if you’re anxious about how much you’ll pay in utilities. It’s almost impossible to know ahead of time what your bill will be each month, especially since rates change twice a year. A survey recently found that more than one in three (36%) Connecticut parents of young kids struggled to pay for utilities in the last month. Of those, 79% struggled with their electric bill, and 52% with their gas bill.

Whether you use home heating oil, gas, or electricity to heat your home, it’s worth checking to see if you qualify for help managing your utility bill.

Weatherization: Using less electricity, gas, or home heating oil will lower your bill. If you own your home, you can look into bigger improvements like adding insulation or planting a tree in a strategic spot. The Weatherization Assistance Program can help pay for renovations to make your home more energy efficient, which will lower how much electricity you use. If you rent, your landlord can apply for weatherization programs if the people in your building qualify for them. Those improvements can lower the energy costs for everyone who lives there.

There are smaller ways to lower your energy usage. Both homeowners and renters can insulate their homes by placing insulation film over windows, switching to heavy curtains, and sealing cracks. You can also use a space heater (although remember to turn it off at night and when you’re not home), add layers of clothing, and use an electric blanket to stay comfortable. 

While these changes will reduce how much energy you use, we understand that they alone can’t make heating our homes as affordable as it used to be.

Discount programs: Eversource and United Illuminating are required to have discounted rates depending on how much money you make. The discount depends on your family size and income. 

The Connecticut Energy Assistance Program, known as CEAP, can help you pay your heating bill. The program helped more than 100,000 Connecticut households last year. Generally, a household of one person can qualify if they make under $45,505 a year, a family of three at less than $73,509 a month, and a family of four $87,511 a month. However, applications for this season closed in May. Check its website for when it will open next year. Unfortunately, the future of CEAP is in jeopardy due to federal decisions. 

There are also matching payment plans for some electric and gas customers, and flexible payment arrangements are available to everyone. Check with your utility company for more information.

If you need emergency help, Generation Power CT, which used to be called Operation Fuel, provides people with up to $500 to pay utility bills. The program accepts applications for emergency assistance multiple times throughout the year. The next upcoming application cycles open on Nov. 2, Jan. 2, 2026, and March 2, 2026. Each cycle lasts about a week.

If you are having trouble paying off your bill, you can also seek a financial hardship designation from your town’s Community Action Agency, which can prevent your heat from being shut off from Nov. 1 to May 1.

If you rent, your landlord is legally required to provide you with heat. If they pay your heating bill, then they must keep the temperature in your home at at least 65 degrees. If your heat is broken or your home won’t reach that temperature, tell your landlord – and document that you did so. If they don’t fix it, then you can call your area’s code enforcement office or the police. If you have to leave because it is too cold, then you may be able to sue your landlord for the expenses of staying somewhere else.

Plan for what to do if a storm knocks out your heat. Sign up for alerts for when the governor activates a severe weather protocol so you can be prepared. Alerts will include information like when the cold or storm will arrive, where warming shelters are, and other details. While most information on shelters isn’t available until an alert is issued, you can track the locations of some shelters online ahead of time.

Bottom line: It shouldn’t be this hard for people to afford to stay safe and comfortable in our homes. While these programs might be able to help, there's only so much weatherizing people can do, and they aren't replacements for good policies. Connecticut has to work harder for working class people, so everyone can afford to thrive here.