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New Hampshire utility help
Last updated: October 9, 2026
New Hampshire has separate programs for heating, electric, weatherization, emergency arrears, and other utility needs. The best first step is usually the Community Action Agency that serves your county.
Bottom Line
Start with your county Community Action Agency before paying a large past-due balance. For 2026-2027, Fuel Assistance can help eligible households with heating costs, while Electric Assistance can reduce qualifying electric bills year-round. Households with someone age 60 or older also get an earlier Fuel Assistance application window and may have a senior-specific backup when income is above the main LIHEAP limit.
If you already have a shutoff notice or have run out of heat, call your utility and the Community Action Agency the same day. Do not assume winter automatically prevents a shutoff.
If You Have a Shutoff Notice or No Heat
- Call the utility now. Ask for a payment arrangement and tell the representative if anyone in the home is age 65 or older.
- Say if there is a medical risk. New Hampshire has separate medical-emergency rules. Do not wait for the shutoff date to mention a serious physical or mental health condition.
- Call your Community Action Agency. Ask for Fuel Assistance, Electric Assistance, Neighbor Helping Neighbor, and any emergency energy fund for which your household can be screened.
- Call town or city welfare. New Hampshire municipalities administer general assistance under state law. Local rules vary, but this can be an important last-mile route in a basic-needs emergency.
For broader crisis routes, see GFS’s NH emergency help.
Start Here
- Heating bill or fuel delivery: apply for the Fuel Assistance Program through your county Community Action Agency.
- Electric bill: ask for the Electric Assistance Program even if you do not qualify for Fuel Assistance.
- Past-due or shutoff balance: ask the utility for a payment arrangement, then ask the agency to screen you for emergency or charitable funds.
If you need help beyond utilities, GFS also has a broader guide to NH senior assistance.
Which Route Fits Your Problem?
| Problem | Best first route | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Heating oil, propane, wood, electric heat, or gas heat | Fuel Assistance | “Can you screen my household for 2026-2027 FAP?” |
| High electric bill | Electric Assistance | “Can I qualify for the monthly EAP discount?” |
| Disconnect notice | Utility plus CAA | Payment arrangement, EAP, NHN, and other hardship funds |
| Income above LIHEAP | CAA screening | SEAS, Neighbor Helping Neighbor, and utility-specific help |
| Drafty or inefficient home | Weatherization | Home Energy Assistance and Weatherization screening |
| Water or sewer arrears | Provider plus municipal welfare | Payment plan, hardship help, and general assistance |
| Phone or internet cost | Federal Lifeline | Income or program-based eligibility |
How New Hampshire Utility Assistance Works
New Hampshire does not have one application for every utility problem. The practical hub is the Community Action Agency, or CAA. Five CAAs cover all 10 counties and handle or coordinate the main low-income energy programs.
Utilities also matter because Eversource, Liberty, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, and Unitil have payment or hardship options. Town or city welfare can be another route in a basic-needs emergency.
GFS lists NH aging agencies for older adults who also need help with food, transportation, care, or benefits. They do not replace the CAA energy application.
Fuel Assistance for the 2026-2027 Heating Season
New Hampshire’s Fuel Assistance Program is the state’s Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP. It helps eligible homeowners and renters with heating costs. Current CAA guidance lists 2026-2027 benefits from $188 to $2,500. The actual amount depends on household income, size, energy costs, housing type, and program rules.
The Fuel Assistance page lists the 2026-2027 deadline as April 30, 2027. Eligible heating sources include delivered fuels, electric heat, and natural gas under program rules.
Seniors get an earlier application window
A household with a member age 60 or older is in the priority application group and can start applying July 1. The early group also includes documented disability, a child under age 6, or wood as the primary heat source. Applications open to other households September 1.
The current CAA guidance says the Fuel Assistance season runs through April 30. Apply early even if winter has not started. A CAA may need time to collect documents and certify the application.
2026-2027 income screening figures
The published 2026-2027 guidelines below took effect May 29, 2026. These are screening figures, not a promise of eligibility. Ask the CAA to calculate your household under the program rules.
| Household size | Monthly gross income | Annual gross income |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4,059 | $48,713 |
| 2 | $5,309 | $63,702 |
| 3 | $6,558 | $78,691 |
| 4 | $7,807 | $93,680 |
| 5 | $9,056 | $108,668 |
| 6 | $10,305 | $123,657 |
For larger households, use the current CAA figures rather than adding your own amount. Income treatment can also be more complicated than a simple monthly total.
Electric Assistance Can Reduce Bills Year-Round
The New Hampshire Electric Assistance Program, or EAP, is a 12-month bill discount. The current CAA program page and utility guidance list discounts from 5% to 86%, depending on household income and size.
Apply through your CAA. Qualifying customers of Eversource, Liberty, New Hampshire Electric Cooperative, and Unitil can participate. The CAA decides income eligibility. Liberty’s EAP explanation confirms the current range and application route.
Do not skip EAP just because Fuel Assistance does not fit. A renter whose subsidized rent includes heat, for example, may not qualify for Fuel Assistance but may still qualify for EAP if the household is responsible for the electric bill.
For a national overview of other bill-help routes, see GFS’s utility bill help.
If Your Income Is Over the Main LIHEAP Limit
Senior Energy Assistance Program
Ask the CAA specifically about the Senior Energy Assistance Program, or SEAS. This route matters because it is designed for some older households that are over the LIHEAP income limit. Southwestern Community Services currently describes SEAS as providing up to $500 per elderly household for people age 60 or older who are over LIHEAP income.
Ask your county CAA whether SEAS is available and what amount applies. The maximum is not guaranteed.
Neighbor Helping Neighbor
Neighbor Helping Neighbor, or NHN, is a charitable energy fund for some households facing hardship that do not qualify for the main energy-assistance programs. You apply through a CAA, not directly through the utility fund. The NHN help page tells applicants to bring a utility disconnect notice and proof of income.
The fund’s FAQ lists up to $300 every two years for a customer with electric heat or both natural-gas and electric service, and up to $200 every two years for certain one-utility customers without electric heat. Check the current NHN limits before relying on an amount.
Reality Check
These programs are not meant to be added together into one guaranteed award. A CAA may need to screen you for the main programs first, and charitable funds can have narrower eligibility or limited funding.
Your Utility May Have Another Route
Eversource
Eversource offers payment plans and New Start. Its current page says eligible customers may eliminate a past-due balance in as few as 12 months through required on-time payments and Eversource balance forgiveness. Ask what monthly payment your account requires.
New Hampshire Electric Cooperative
NHEC members can ask about payment arrangements, EAP, and Project Care rules. Applicants must first seek other agency help. Project Care is limited to once in 12 months and is intended to stop a pending disconnection or restore service terminated within the prior 30 days. Applying does not itself stop disconnection.
Liberty
Liberty lists EAP, Fuel Assistance, Neighbor Helping Neighbor, and payment plans. If you are behind, review its financial-help options and ask about spreading the past-due balance.
Unitil natural-gas customers
Unitil’s current discount page lists a 45% discount on distribution and supply charges for eligible natural-gas heating households from November 1 through April 30. Fuel Assistance participants are automatically enrolled; the discount does not apply to the Local Delivery Adjustment Charge.
New Hampshire Winter and Medical Shutoff Protections
New Hampshire’s winter rules are important, but they are not a blanket ban on gas or electric shutoffs. Under the current utility customer rules, the winter period runs from November 15 through March 31.
Extra protection at age 65
During the winter period, a gas or electric utility must seek New Hampshire Department of Energy approval before disconnecting a residential customer it knows is 65 or older. The rule also sets winter arrearage thresholds before a disconnect notice can be sent for a primary residence: more than $125 for non-heating gas, more than $225 for non-heating electric, and more than $450 for electric or gas heating customers.
Those thresholds do not erase the debt. Contact the utility before the disconnect date and request a payment arrangement. Financial-hardship customers have additional winter payment-arrangement protections.
Medical emergency protection
Medical-emergency rules apply to primary-residence electric, gas, and water service. A qualifying certification plus a payment arrangement protects the account while the customer follows both requirements.
The current rule allows a medical professional to certify the emergency for at least 90 days and up to one year, and the certification can be renewed. If a customer first gives oral notice of a medical emergency, the required certification generally must follow within 15 calendar days. The bill does not disappear, so the payment arrangement is still important.
Do not wait for the field visit
If a disconnect would endanger someone’s health, tell the utility when you first call. Ask for the medical-emergency procedure in writing and ask what the medical professional must send.
Weatherization Can Lower the Problem Long-Term
Weatherization can reduce future energy use. New Hampshire delivers federal Weatherization Assistance and utility-funded Home Energy Assistance through the CAA network.
NHSaves says its income-eligible program covers 100% of the cost of qualifying weatherization work and replacement of inefficient equipment for income-eligible homeowners and renters. The CAA determines eligibility and arranges the next steps. Renters may need landlord permission for work.
Work depends on the home and energy audit and may include air sealing, insulation, or inefficient-equipment replacement. Capacity is limited, so waits can occur.
The New Hampshire Department of Energy contracts with five Community Action Agencies for statewide weatherization coverage. For broader background, see GFS guides to weatherization grants and energy-efficiency help.
Water, Sewer, Phone, and Internet Bills
Water and sewer
Fuel Assistance and EAP are energy programs, not general water-bill programs. If water or sewer arrears are the problem, call the provider and ask for a payment arrangement or hardship route. Then contact your town or city welfare office if the unpaid bill is part of a basic-needs emergency.
State utility rules cover many regulated services, but the winter rules apply to gas and electric service. Medical-emergency protections can apply to qualifying residential water accounts. Ask the provider which state or local rule governs your account.
Phone and internet
The federal Lifeline program can lower qualifying phone or internet costs. Current 2026 Lifeline eligibility rules use income at or below 135% of federal poverty guidelines or certain qualifying benefits, with one benefit per household. USAC lists up to $9.25 per month for qualifying broadband service; use the official Lifeline starting page.
Town or City Welfare Can Be a Backup
Every New Hampshire town and city must have written general-assistance guidelines. State law, updated effective July 21, 2026, leaves local eligibility and financial standards to municipal administration within the state framework.
Read the current general-assistance law, then call the welfare office where you live. Local eligibility and allowable costs vary, so ask directly whether the current local guidelines can help prevent loss of heat, electricity, water, or another basic service.
Utility rules also recognize municipal welfare guarantees in some disconnection and reconnection situations, so this is a separate backup when CAA help does not solve the emergency.
Find the Community Action Agency for Your County
New Hampshire’s five CAA service areas cover all 10 counties. Use the county where you live, not the location of your utility’s headquarters.
| Counties | Agency | Starting point |
|---|---|---|
| Belknap, Merrimack | Community Action Program Belknap-Merrimack | CAP Belknap-Merrimack |
| Strafford | Community Action Partnership of Strafford County | CAP Strafford |
| Hillsborough, Rockingham | Community Action Partnership Hillsborough and Rockingham | CAP Hillsborough-Rockingham |
| Cheshire, Sullivan | Southwestern Community Services | Southwestern Community Services |
| Coos, Carroll, Grafton | Tri-County Community Action Program | Tri-County Community Action |
What to Prepare Before You Apply
Requirements vary, but these are common documents to gather before an energy-assistance interview.
- Names, dates of birth, and Social Security information for household members.
- Recent income records for each household member, including Social Security, pension, wages, or other countable income.
- Your most recent electric bill and heating-fuel or natural-gas bill.
- Your fuel vendor name and account number if you use delivered fuel.
- Mortgage statement or property-tax record if you own the home.
- Landlord verification if you rent and heat is included.
- The disconnect notice if you are seeking emergency utility help.
- Any recent decision letter from another assistance program if the CAA requests it.
If you are missing one item, call rather than abandoning the application. Ask what can be submitted later and what must be present before the agency can certify the case.
If You Are Denied, Delayed, or Overwhelmed
Get the reason in writing. Fuel Assistance applicants who are denied have fair-hearing rights. Follow the deadline and instructions printed on the current denial notice rather than relying on an old online deadline.
Ask for a second screening. A Fuel Assistance denial does not automatically mean EAP, SEAS, NHN, municipal welfare, or a utility-specific program will also deny you.
Keep the utility involved. Tell the utility that you are applying for assistance and ask what payment arrangement is available while the application is being reviewed.
If community aid is not enough, GFS lists NH charities for urgent needs. For housing-related energy problems, the NH home repair guide separates repair funding from bill assistance.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Waiting until the disconnect date to call.
- Assuming age 65 creates an automatic winter shutoff ban.
- Skipping EAP because Fuel Assistance was denied.
- Assuming a published maximum benefit is what your household will receive.
- Ignoring a medical condition that could create a separate protection.
- Sending an incomplete application without asking what is still required.
- Assuming a town welfare office and a CAA are the same program.
Phone Scripts You Can Use
Community Action Agency
“I am a New Hampshire resident age 60 or older and I need help with my heating or electric bill. Please screen me for Fuel Assistance, Electric Assistance, senior energy help, and any emergency fund that fits. What documents should I send first?”
Utility shutoff notice
“I received a disconnect notice. Someone in this home is age 65 or older. I am also applying for energy assistance. What payment arrangement can you offer, and what winter protection applies to this account?”
Medical emergency
“A loss of utility service would create a medical danger for someone in this home. I am giving notice of a medical emergency. Please tell me the certification steps, the deadline for the medical document, and the payment arrangement I need to make.”
Town or city welfare
“I have a basic-needs utility emergency and I am applying for other assistance. Can you tell me whether your current general-assistance guidelines can help with this bill or help prevent disconnection, and what proof you need?”
Resumen en español
En New Hampshire, la agencia de Community Action de su condado suele ser el mejor primer contacto para ayuda con calefacción y electricidad. Para la temporada 2026-2027, los hogares con una persona de 60 años o más pueden solicitar Fuel Assistance desde el 1 de julio. Otros hogares pueden comenzar el 1 de septiembre.
El programa Electric Assistance puede reducir la factura mensual durante 12 meses para clientes que califican. Si tiene un aviso de corte, llame a la compañía de servicios y a Community Action el mismo día. Si alguien en la vivienda tiene 65 años o más, dígalo. Si un corte crearía una emergencia médica, informe a la compañía de inmediato y pida las instrucciones de certificación médica.
Si sus ingresos son demasiado altos para LIHEAP, pregunte por Senior Energy Assistance, Neighbor Helping Neighbor, programas de la compañía y ayuda general de su ciudad o pueblo. Prepare comprobantes de ingresos, facturas recientes y cualquier aviso de corte.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is New Hampshire Fuel Assistance only for seniors?
No. Fuel Assistance serves eligible New Hampshire households of different ages. However, for the 2026-2027 season, households with a member age 60 or older are in a priority group that can start applying July 1. Other households can apply starting September 1.
How much can New Hampshire Fuel Assistance pay in 2026-2027?
A current New Hampshire Community Action Agency page lists Fuel Assistance benefits from $188 to $2,500 for eligible households. The actual benefit depends on factors such as household income, household size, energy costs, housing type, and available program funding. The application deadline is April 30, 2027.
Can I get a year-round discount on my electric bill?
Possibly. The New Hampshire Electric Assistance Program is a 12-month discount program for eligible customers. Current program pages list discounts from 5% to 86%. Apply through the Community Action Agency serving your county.
Can a New Hampshire utility shut off a customer age 65 or older in winter?
Age 65 does not create an automatic winter shutoff ban. From November 15 through March 31, a gas or electric utility must seek New Hampshire Department of Energy approval before disconnecting a residential customer it knows is age 65 or older. Other winter notice and payment-arrangement rules also apply.
What if a shutoff would create a medical emergency?
Tell the utility immediately. New Hampshire rules can protect a primary-residence electric, gas, or water account when a qualifying medical emergency is certified and the customer enters into and follows a payment arrangement. Oral notice can start temporary protection, but required medical certification must follow.
What if my income is too high for LIHEAP?
Ask your Community Action Agency to screen you for other help. Options may include the Senior Energy Assistance Program for people age 60 or older, Neighbor Helping Neighbor, a utility payment or arrearage program, and town or city general assistance. Each route has its own rules and available funding.
Where should I start for a water or sewer bill problem?
Start with the water or sewer provider and ask for a payment arrangement or hardship option. Fuel Assistance and Electric Assistance are not general water-bill programs. If the bill threatens a basic need, also contact your town or city welfare office. Medical-emergency protections may apply to regulated water service in qualifying cases.
About This Guide
This guide uses official federal, state, local, and other high-trust nonprofit and community sources mentioned in the article.
Editorial note
This guide is produced based on our Editorial Standards using official and other high-trust sources, regularly updated and monitored, but not affiliated with any government agency and not a substitute for official agency guidance. Individual eligibility outcomes cannot be guaranteed.
Corrections
Please note that despite our careful verification process, errors may still occur. Email info@grantsforseniors.org with corrections and we will respond within 72 hours.
Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and is not legal, financial, medical, tax, disability-rights, immigration, or government-agency advice. Program rules, policies, and availability can change. Readers should confirm current details directly with the official program before acting.
Last updated: October 9, 2026 · Next review: January 7, 2027
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