Massachusetts households that heat with oil or utility gas can get about $525 to $1,200 in state heating aid this winter. New York utility customers on the state’s discount program can save up to $500 a year, and Maine started automatic electric-bill discounts of 17% to 83% for low-income households on or soon after November bills. All three programs are open or running now, and each one asks for something different from the household.
Fuel prices are driving the push, at least in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has declared a state of energy emergency and says heating oil averages $6.08 a gallon, up 73%. The three states handle the cost in three ways: a one-time heating payment, an ongoing monthly discount, and a discount that arrives without an application.
Massachusetts: $525 to $1,200 through April 30
The Home Energy Assistance Program, known as HEAP, runs from Nov. 1, 2026, through April 30, 2027. Gov. Maura Healey’s office said in an Oct. 5 announcement that support now ranges from about $525 to $1,200 per household. Oil-heated households get a 20% increase, and households heated with utility gas or electricity get 15%…