If your household income is less than or equal to 200% of the federal poverty guidelines and you have to pay for your household's heating costs, you may be eligible for financial assistance under the HEAP program.
Applications are usually accepted between 1 September and 31 March.
Application forms are also available from local community agencies, Area Agencies for the Elderly, District Department of Employment and Family Services and local libraries.
Proof of income for the last 12 months is required as well as a copy of a recent utility bill and your signed application.
Please contact your local Community Action Agency or the Ohio Department of Development at 1-800-282-0880 for more information or to submit an application.
The Emergency HEAP (E-HEAP) program offers a one-time credit of up to $175 per heating season to qualifying low-income customers to maintain or restore gas service.
In some cases E-HEAP can also be used to repair the heating system.
The deadline for applying for E-HEAP is 1 November to 31 March.
Applications must be completed with a Community Action Agency.
Customers are required to sign up for one of the payment plans commissioned by the State of Ohio to receive emergency benefits.
WarmChoice® is a weatherization program for eligible low-income Columbia Gas customers in Ohio.
The program includes a home inspection and can provide insulation, air tightness and repair or replacement of heating equipment.
The program can reduce the customer's gas consumption by an average of 28%.
Columbia Gas of Ohio's network of local suppliers serves over 1,500 authorized WarmChoice® customers each year.
To qualify, participants must be customers of Columbia Gas of Ohio, use natural gas as their primary source of heating and qualify for PIPP Plus or have an income of 150% or less of federal poverty guidelines.
For more information on how to apply to WarmChoice, please contact them at 1-800-952-3037.

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance program is called LIHEAP. They assist low income people and families with their heating and cooling bills. This program is therefore, a year long program that is available 12 months a year. To qualify for the LIHEAP assistance, you need to qualify. We provide the current Federal Poverty Rates nationwide below.

You are automatically qualified for LIHEAP assistance if you participate in the SNAP food stamps program, TANF Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or the SSI program through Social Security.

Federal Poverty Guidelines for 2024

Persons In Family	Earnings (100% Fed Poverty Guideline)
1	$15,060
2	$20,440
3	$25,820
4	$31,200
5	$36,580
6	$41,960
7	$47,340
8	$52,720

*Alaska and Hawaii have different rates for HUD federal poverty guidelines.
These numbers above represent 100% of the Federal Poverty Rate. In order to get legal aid from some offices, they use a sliding fee scale. When they use a sliding fee scale, the 100% rate can be different than 100%. In those cases, using for example a 200% federal poverty level, you will only need double the 100% number listed above to 200%.

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