12/23/2025
Shapiro Administration Announces Opening of 2025-26 LIHEAP Season, Reminds Pennsylvanians of Moratorium on Shutoffs: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/newsroom/shapiro-administration-announces-opening-of-2025-26-liheap-seaso
DHS announced that the 2025-26 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) season will begin taking applications on Wednesday, December 3. Normally opened in November each year, the program was delayed due to the federal government shutdown. The 2025-26 season is scheduled to run from December 3 through April 10, 2026.
To protect Pennsylvanians during the delay, Governor Josh Shapiro worked with the Public Utility Commission (PUC) and utility providers to start the winter shutoff moratorium earlier on November 1, 2025 (it usually begins in December each year). This ensured that Pennsylvanians who could not access LIHEAP in November because of the shutdown did not risk having their heat or electricity shut off as temperatures dropped.
LIHEAP is a federally funded DHS program that helps eligible households pay their heating bills by sending payments directly to their utility company or fuel provider. States receive LIHEAP funding through a federal block grant — these dollars were finally issued last week by the Trump Administration after the federal shutdown ended. Pennsylvania typically receives more than $215 million in LIHEAP funding each year, including $216 million in 2023 and $229 million in 2024.
“Pennsylvanians deserve the safety and health benefits that come from being able to heat their homes and keep themselves and their families warm through the winter,” said DHS Secretary Dr. Val Arkoosh. “LIHEAP helps hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians each year by providing cash and crisis grants directly to the eligible household’s utility company or heating fuel provider, and I am very glad that we are finally able to begin this important work. I encourage anyone who may need help with heating costs to apply for LIHEAP and keep your home safe through this winter.”
