Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Season is Open

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (November 20, 2025) - Applications are now open for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) for 2026. This program helps eligible residents pay for their heating bills, ensuring they stay warm throughout the cold months.LIHEAP is one of several programs the state Department of Community Affairs provides to help New Jersey households in need with basic resources such as housing and heating to promote long-term physical well-being. These programs include LIHEAP, which is a federal program that helps households at or below 60% of the state median income ($8,014 a month for a family of four) pay for energy costs (electric, gas, deliverable fuels, and those included in rent), and the Universal Service Fund (USF) program, which provides a monthly credit on electric and gas bills for households. The LIHEAP application is also an application for the Universal Service Fund.Households may visit the DCAid portal at https://www.nj.gov/dca/dcaid to apply for LIHEAP or other assistance programs.