Utility assistance guide · Maryland
Every program that can keep your power on, in one place. Written in plain language by people who process these applications every day, and free to use. When you're ready, we'll help you apply.
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.
One state application opens heating help, electric help, and past-due balance help. Apply even if you think you're over the limit; many working families qualify.
(443) 222-1221. We'll tell you which programs fit your situation and help you get the paperwork through. It's free.
Good to know: Maryland rules restrict shut-offs on days with freezing or extreme-heat forecasts, and a medical certification from your doctor can postpone a disconnection. Details below.
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.
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're unsure; we see working families qualify every week.
Maryland gives medically vulnerable households extra protection, but only if the utility knows. Two things work together: a medical certification from your doctor, and the Critical Medical Needs Program.
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. It buys time; it doesn't erase the balance, so use the window to get assistance in place.
Our program, run under contract with the Maryland Department of Human Services, for households where power is medical equipment: oxygen, CPAP, dialysis, refrigerated medication, and more. We document the need, coordinate with OHEP and your utility, and get your case handled with urgency, not a queue number.
Request CMNP helpBGE, Pepco, Delmarva Power, Potomac Edison, SMECO, Washington Gas, and the municipal and co-op utilities all have tools that don't require a grant. Ask for them by name:
Disputes or a utility that won't work with you? The Maryland Public Service Commission's consumer affairs office takes complaints, and we can help you file one.
A nonprofit that helps Central Maryland households with energy bills, often after OHEP has been applied. Good for the gap a grant doesn't 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.
Assistance gets you through this month. These options shrink next month's bill. They're open to Maryland households on any budget, and the ones below are free or covered mostly or entirely by utility rebates you already pay into.
EmPOWER Maryland is the energy-efficiency program funded by a small charge on every BGE, Pepco, Delmarva Power, Potomac Edison, and SMECO bill. You're paying for it either way. These two services put that money back in your home:
A free in-home visit from a utility-approved contractor. They install free energy-saving items on the spot (LED bulbs, efficient showerheads and faucet aerators, smart power strips, pipe insulation) and leave you a list of bigger upgrades with rebates attached. Homeowners and renters.
Cost to you: $0
A professional tune-up of your heating and cooling system by a participating contractor. Systems that haven't been serviced often run 10 to 30% less efficiently than they should, and that shows up on every bill. Utility rebates cover most or all of the cost; the contractor handles the paperwork.
Cost to you: little or nothing after rebates
Or book directly through your utility's program: BGE · Pepco · Delmarva Power · Potomac Edison · SMECO
If your household is income-qualified, the EmPOWER Limited Income Energy Efficiency Program through the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development goes further than a check-up: no-cost insulation and air sealing, hot water and heating system repairs, lighting, and limited health and safety repairs. It's delivered by approved weatherization contractors. If you've been approved for OHEP, you usually qualify, and we can help you get the application in.
Maryland's community solar program lets you subscribe to a share of a local solar farm and receive credits on your electric bill. Nothing is installed at your home, there's no cost to join, and income-qualified households get a larger guaranteed discount on those credits (often around 25%) than standard subscribers. You can cancel anytime.
Get help applying
Tell us what's going on and a program volunteer will call you back to go through your options, help with the paperwork, and flag anything urgent. Free, confidential, and we never sell your information.
