Heating Relief Resource Guide
My staff and I have consolidated available resources to help Mainers who are struggling to heat their home. Our goal is to help anyone in need understand the options available to them and decide on a course of action.
If you have questions, my staff are standing ready to assist you. If we can't help or answer your question, we'll quickly connect you with someone who can.
You can find contact information for my nearest office here. During business hours, you will nearly always be able to connect directly with a member of our staff who will do their best to help you.
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What do I do if I am very low on fuel and can’t afford to fuel my tank?
If you are very low on fuel, and can't afford to fill your tank, you may qualify for an emergency delivery. Emergency funds are available at non-profits, churches, municipalities, and other organizations.
Call 2-1-1, or contact the Community Action Agency in your area for more information. The Community Action Agency nearest you will help connect you to the resources best suited to your situation.
Where are the Community Action Agencies in the Second District?
- Aroostook County Action Program
PO Box 1116
771 Main Street
Presque Isle, ME 04769
Phone: (207) 764-3721
Toll Free: (800) 585-3053
Fax: (207) 768-3021 - Community Concepts Inc - Lewiston Office
240 Bates Street
Lewiston, Maine 04240
Phone: (207) 795-4065
Toll Free: (800) 866-5588
Fax: (207) 784-6882 - Community Concepts Inc - South Paris Office
17 Market Square
South Paris, Maine 04281
Phone: (207) 743-7716
Toll Free: (800) 866-5588
Fax: (207) 743-6513 - Downeast Community Partners
248 Bucksport Road
Ellsworth, Maine 04605
Phone: (207) 664-2424
Toll Free: (800) 828-7544
Fax: (207) 664-2430 - Kennebec Valley Community Action Program - Augusta Office
Buker Community Center
22 Armory Street
Augusta, Maine 04330
Phone: (207) 859-1500
Toll Free: (800) 542-8227
Fax: (207) 872-6747 - Penquis Community Action Program - Bangor Office
P.O. Box 1162
262 Harlow Street
Bangor, Mane 04402
Phone: (207) 973-3500
Toll Free: (800) 215-4942
Fax: (207) 973-3699 - Penquis Community Action Program - Dover-Foxcroft Office
50 North Street
Dover-Foxcroft, Maine 04426
Phone: (207) 564-7116
Toll Free: (800) 215-4942
Fax: (207) 973-3699 - Penquis Community Action Program - Lincoln Office
40A Main Street
Lincoln , Maine 04457
Phone: (207) 794-3093
Toll Free: (800) 215-4942
Fax: (207) 973-3699 - Waldo Community Action Partners
P.O. Box 130
9 Field Street
Belfast, Maine 04915
Phone: (207) 338-3025
Toll Free: (800) 498-3025
Fax: (207) 930-7324 - Western Maine Community Action
PO Box 200
20A Church Street
East Wilton, Maine 04234
Phone: (207) 645-3764
Toll Free: (800) 645-9636
Fax: (207) 645-3270
What other resources are available to me?
There are a number of programs available to qualifying Maine residents seeking heating assistance.
- Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
- MaineHousing offers HEAP to low-moderate income households and renters who need assistance with their heating costs. The funds are distributed by nine Community Action Agencies.
- Web: https://www.mainehousing.org/programs-services/energy/liheap
- Phone: (207) 626-4600
- Low Income Assistance Program (LIAP)
- LIAP works with HEAP eligible homeowners and renters who need assistance with their electric utility costs.
- Web: www.mainehousing.org/programs-services/energy/energydetails/low-income-assistance-program
- Phone: (207) 626-4600
- Natural Gas Customer Discounts
- Customers of Unitil, Bangor Gas, or Maine Natural Gas receiving service under the residential heating and non-heating rates, may be eligible to receive a 30% discount on delivery and gas supply rates.
- The discount applies to any customer identified by the Maine State Housing Authority (MaineHousing) as eligible for LIHEAP. Once enrolled, customers will receive the discount for 12 consecutive months. You can call your gas utility to enroll.
- Electric Bill Assistance
- The Maine Public Utilities Commission has created an online resource guide, MaineElectricHelp.com, to connect eligible customers to electric bills assistance.
- General Assistance
- The Maine Department of Health and Human Services offers fuel and utilities assistance to eligible Mainers. Applications are available at your local municipal office.
- Phone: 1-800-442-6003
What are the income eligibility requirements for heating assistance?
These are the income eligibility requirements for the 2022/2023 season. For households with more than 10 persons, contact your Community Action Agency (CAA) for eligibility guidelines.
Other program guidelines and requirements may apply.
How do I know if I am paying the lowest price for fuel?
The Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) conducts a weekly survey of heating fuel prices, obtained from fuel retailers statewide. The guide they put together allows customers to compare prices across regions and heating fuels.
It is available here.
What is Congressman Golden doing to lower the cost of heating oil and help families who are struggling to afford to heat their homes this winter?
Since he was elected to Congress, Jared has worked with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure that seniors, households on fixed incomes, and other Mainers in need have the resources necessary to keep their homes warm. He and Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) have led bipartisan, bicameral pushes to increase funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which helps over 5.3 million households nationwide afford their energy bills. In the 117th Congress, for instance, Jared successfully secured $1 billion in supplemental appropriations for the program in a short term government funding bill. He's also introduced bipartisan legislation to increase funding for the program by billions .
Jared has also been working to lower oil and gas prices and has consistently been one of the leading voices in Congress — and among the only in his own party — to push for more aggressive action to increase domestic energy production. During the Biden administration, he pushed the White House to adopt his bipartisan, multi-pronged proposal to boost energy production and boost supply, called for the suspension of the federal gas tax to help consumers save at the pump, and advocated for opening or expediting approval pipelines like Keystone, Dakota Access, and Mountain Valley.