Communities | Home Energy Assistance Program

Welcome! The Office of Community Services is housed within the Community Development Division of the Ohio Department of Development. The Office administers large federal block grants, including the Home Energy Assistance Program, the Home Weatherization Assistance Program, and the Community Services Block Grant. The funding for these block grants originates from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Energy. Grantees of these funds consist of a network of 52 Community Action Agencies and other local providers throughout Ohio. 

 

Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP): 

The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is a federally funded program administered by the Ohio Department of Development's Office of Community Service (OCS). It is designed to help eligible low-income Ohioans meet the high costs of home heating. If you are eligible for assistance, the amount of your one-time HEAP benefit wilI depend on federal funding levels, how many people live with you, total household income, and the primary fuel you use to heat your home. In most cases, the one-time benefit will be a credit applied to your energy bill by your utility company (or fuel vendor). To go to the HEAP website, please click here.

 

Summer Crisis Program:

A special component of the HEAP is the Summer Crisis Program (SCP). The SCP is administered by the local delegate agencies and assists eligible families with their electric bill and/or the purchase of air conditioners.  The 2010 SCP will operate from July 1st through August 31st. To be eligible for the SCP program:

  • Your household must be at or below 200% of poverty
  • Your household must include a member with an illness verified by physician documentation that would benefit from assistance or with a member who is sixty (60) or older.

To go to the SCP website, please click here.

 

Winter Crisis Program (WCP): 

A special component of the HEAP is the Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program (E-HEAP). The E-HEAP is administered by the local delegate agencies. The Emergency Program provides assistance once per heating season to eligible households that are disconnected, threatened with disconnection, or have less than a 10-day supply of bulk fuel. Those households serviced by a PUCO-regulated utility must sign up for the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) or another payment plan in order to receive emergency benefits. Bulk fuel users must certify in writing that they have less then a 10-day supply of bulk fuel in order to be eligible. Emergency HEAP can also help pay for heating system repairs in certain cases. 

To go to the WCP website, please click here.

 

Home Weatherization Assistance Program (HWAP):

Ohio's Home Weatherization Assistance Program is a federally funded low-income residential energy efficiency program. The program reduces low-income households' energy use, thus creating more affordable housing for those in most need. Services include attic, wall, and basement insulation; blower-door-guided air leakage reduction; heating system repairs or replacements; and health and safety testing and inspections. All measures are provided based on an on-site energy audit and on cost-effective guidelines developed using the NEAT computerized energy audit. Individualized client education is an important component of the program.

To go to the HWAP website, please click here.
To access the list of Home Weatherization Program (HWAP) providers, please click here.

 

Community Services Block Grant (CSBG): 

The Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) remains one of the major efforts of the War on Poverty. The CSBG aims to help individuals and families living in poverty to become self-sufficient, strengthen local communities, and to increase the capacity for Ohioans to create their own opportunities. The State of Ohio administers the program through the Ohio Department of Development's Office of Community Services. CSBG funds are granted to nonprofit Community Action Agencies to coordinate and link public and private resources and to focus these resources on specific poverty issues at the community level.

To go to the CSBG website, please click here.
To access a list of the local CSBG providers, please click here.

 

Percentage of Income Payment Plan Plus (PIPP Plus): 

On November 1, 2010, a new and improved Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) will begin. The
new program, called PIPP Plus, will make monthly payments more affordable on a year‐round basis.

PIPP Plus is an extended payment arrangement that requires regulated gas and electric companies to accept payments based on a percentage of the household income. As a part of the Universal Service Fund program enabled by Substitute Senate Bill 3, the Office of Community Services will administer PIPP Plus for electricity customers. Under PIPP Plus, if you heat with gas, you pay 6 percent of your monthly household income to your gas company and 6 percent to your electric company. If you heat with electricity, you pay 10 percent of your monthly household income. The Community Action Agency or utility company will inform you of your PIPP Plus installment. Once you are enrolled in the program, you must pay your installment every month in full and on time.

To go to the PIPP Plus website, please click here.


Electric Partnership Program (EPP):

As part of Ohio's electric industry restructuring act (Senate Bill 3), a Universal Service Fund (USF) was established to serve low-income residents who have high electricity usage. USF's Electric Partnership Program (EPP) is designed to improve the electric efficiency of low-income households who participate in PIPP (Percentage of Income Payment Plan) by performing in-home audits, and installing appropriate electric base load and thermal energy efficiency measures. Consumer education that helps PIPP participants get the most benefit from their electricity while learning ways to lower the amount of it they use is an integral part of the service delivery to every household.

To go to the EPP website, please click here.
To access a list of the EPP authorized providers, please click here.