DictionaryAssistance programs

LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program): what it means

LIHEAP (the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) is a federally funded program that helps with home energy costs, such as heating and cooling. According to the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), it can help with bills, energy crises, preventing shutoffs or reconnecting service, weatherization and minor energy-related repairs.

In Spanish it is

LIHEAP (ayuda para pagar la energía)

Also written as: LIHEAP · energy assistance · heating assistance

A man shakes hands with the specialist who helped him with his loan, in the kitchen of his new home.

Verified on October 17, 2026

2 official sources

See the whole dictionary

The full explanation

It targets low-income households with a high energy burden or with members who are elderly, disabled or young children. You apply through your local LIHEAP office, and the program does not charge a fee for help.

An example

In winter, Sonia's family gets a notice that their gas will be shut off. Sonia calls the local LIHEAP office to ask for help with the bill before the shutoff date.

You will see it in…

Shutoff notices from your electric or gas company
The CFPB's pages on help paying rent and bills
Messages offering a “LIHEAP grant” for a fee, which are scams

Words that go with it

You will rarely see this word alone. These are the ones that show up with it on the same papers.

More guides that use “LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program)”

Still confused by a paper?

A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk you through it. Agencies usually charge little or nothing, many work in Spanish, and they do not sell you anything.

What a housing counselor does See free help

Official sources

We sum up what these official sources say, in plain words. We add no rules they do not state; when a rule changes, the definition and its date change.

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families · Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
2. CFPB · Get help paying rent and bills (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026