By the Numbers

6,800+
People Helped By Our Office
220,000+
Responses to Emails, Letters & Calls
3,440,000+
Money Returned to Constituents

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?


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) 
  • Low Income Assistance Program (LIAP)
  • 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. 

 

Washington DC Office
1107 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC  20515
Phone: (202) 225-6306
Fax: (202) 225-2943
Bangor District Office
6 State Street
Suite 101
Bangor, ME  04401
Phone: (207) 249-7400
Fax: (771) 200-5805
Caribou District Office
7 Hatch Drive
Suite 230
Caribou, ME  04736
Phone: (207) 492-6009
Fax: (771) 200-5805
Lewiston District Office
179 Lisbon Street
Lewiston, ME  04240
Phone: (207) 241-6767
Fax: (771) 200-5805