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State grants paid straight to your utility, the rules that stop a disconnection, payment arrangements, and emergency funds for the gap. Written by people who process these applications every day. Free, from a Maryland nonprofit.
Shut-off notice in hand?
Call now and a program volunteer will tell you which programs fit and help you apply today.
Grants are paid to your utility directly and appear as a credit on your account. Amounts vary by household. Figures are illustrative.
In this order. Each one can stop the clock on a shut-off, and together they usually solve the balance.
Ask for a payment arrangement and tell them if anyone in the home is seriously ill or uses medical equipment. That sentence alone can pause the clock. If the forecast is freezing or extreme heat, say so.
One state application opens heating help, electric help and past-due balance help. Apply even if you think you are over the limit; many working families qualify. Apply online through myMDTHINK or at your local OHEP office.
(443) 222-1221. We will tell you which programs fit your situation and help you get the paperwork through. It is free, and we never sell your information.
The Office of Home Energy Programs (OHEP) is Maryland's energy assistance office, part of the Department of Human Services. It runs the programs most people mean when they say "LIHEAP." One application is considered for all of them, and you reapply each program year. Grants are paid to your utility or fuel supplier, never to you.
Maryland Energy Assistance Program
A grant toward your home heating bill (electric, gas, oil, propane or wood). Paid directly to your fuel supplier or utility.
Electric Universal Service Program
Help with your current electric bill, spread across the year. Often pairs with budget billing so monthly payments stay predictable.
Past-due balance help
A one-time grant toward a large past-due electric balance, which is usually what triggers a shut-off notice in the first place.
Utility Service Protection Program
Year-round protection from shut-off for MEAP-eligible households that keep up with an agreed budget-billing plan.
Income limits are based on household size and change each program year. Apply even if you are unsure; we see working families qualify every week.
Maryland Public Service Commission rules restrict when a utility can disconnect a home for non-payment. None of these erase the balance. They buy time, and the time is for getting assistance in place.
November 1 to March 31
Before disconnecting a residential customer for non-payment during the winter season, a utility must file an affidavit with the Commission. Shut-offs still happen in winter, but only after that process, so a notice dated in winter is the moment to ask for a payment arrangement and apply for OHEP.
Freezing forecast
No shut-off for non-payment on a day when the forecast calls for a temperature of 32°F or below. If you get a notice during a cold snap, tell the utility the date and the forecast.
Extreme heat forecast
No shut-off for non-payment on a day when the forecast calls for 95°F or above. Maryland has no summer season rule to match the winter one; we are asking the Commission for one.
Serious illness or medical equipment
If a licensed physician or other qualified practitioner certifies that losing service would endanger someone's health, your utility must postpone the shut-off for 30 days, and the certification can be renewed. Ask your utility for its medical certification form, have the doctor complete it, and send it back right away. If power runs medical equipment in your home (oxygen, CPAP, dialysis, refrigerated medication), our Critical Medical Needs Program can coordinate the case with OHEP and your utility.
These summaries follow Maryland PSC rules as we understand them; the utility and the Commission apply the details. If a utility will not honor a protection you believe applies, the Commission's consumer affairs office takes complaints, and we can help you file one.
BGE, Pepco, Delmarva Power, Potomac Edison, SMECO, Washington Gas, and the municipal and co-op utilities all have tools that do not require a grant. Ask for them by name:
A nonprofit that helps Central Maryland households with energy bills, often after OHEP has been applied. Good for the gap a grant does not cover.
fuelfundmaryland.org →Dial 2-1-1 for local emergency assistance, churches and community funds, and county programs that change too often to list here.
211md.org →County Departments of Social Services can help with emergency assistance and connect energy help to SNAP, TCA and other benefits you may also qualify for.
Once the balance is handled, the same household that qualified for OHEP usually qualifies for the income-qualified community solar discount, where a credit appears on your bill with nothing to install, plus a no-charge home energy check-up. The Savings Finder lists what fits in 60 seconds.
Still unsure? Call (443) 222-1221 or request a callback. Free, confidential, and we never sell your information.
More ways to lower your bill
60 seconds
Answer five questions and see every program your household likely qualifies for, on one page.
Find my programsCost to you: $0
A utility-approved contractor installs energy-saving items in your home at no charge. Homeowners and renters.
How it worksRebates cover most of it
A professional tune-up of your heating and cooling, paid mostly or entirely by EmPOWER Maryland rebates.
How it worksBehind on the bill?
State energy assistance, past-due balance grants, and the rules that stop a disconnection.
Start hereNothing to install
Subscribe to a share of a local solar farm and a credit appears on your electric bill. Cancel anytime.
How it worksTake action
Ask Maryland's utility regulators for stronger shut-off protections and fairer access to savings.
See the petitionsThis guide is free because people give. Utility Advisor Inc is a Maryland 501(c)(3). Your gift keeps the phone line answered and the power on for a household in crisis.
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