Requesting Assistance & Frequently Asked Questions
To apply for support, contact CUB at 651-300-4701, and press 9 to reach CUB’s Outreach Team. CUB staff will discuss multiple program options and protections available.
If you are in need of interpretation service, please share your language needs at the beginning of the call. If you reach our voicemail, please leave a message.
Anyone who voices a need for utility bill support and cannot meet their needs through Energy Assistance and utility affordability programs is eligible for assistance through this fund.
As of April 10, all applicants will receive a flat $500 gifts, paid directly to their utility providers. If you only need support for one utility service, $500 will be sent to that provider. If you need support for two utility services, $250 will be sent to each provider.
Be prepared to provide:
- Your utility account number(s)
- The name listed on your utility account
- Your phone number so we can contact you if there are any issues with your application.
Depending on your utility provider, we may need to collect other information so we can make a payment on your account, including your address, your house number, your zip code, your county, or other information.
We take data security seriously, and we want to ensure the privacy and comfort of all those who call CUB.
- We will ask some questions about your utility bill situation.
- We will ask if you are interested in the federally funded Energy Assistance Program.
- If not, or if those funds will not be sufficient to meet your needs, we will collect your information to apply for the Lights On, Homes Warm fund.
- After filling out your application, we’ll talk about what to do if you’re already behind on your bills or if you have a disconnection notice.
Payments are made directly to your utility provider. CUB’s goal is to have money posted to your account as soon as possible, but we must work with your utility provider to make payments.
It may take up to three weeks for a payment to be posted to your utility account. In the meantime, we strongly encourage you to set up a payment plan with your utility for any overdue bills to avoid disconnection and late fees. We can talk with you about how to set up a payment plan, including how to make sure the required payments will be affordable for you.
Please tell CUB staff that you have a shutoff notice. We will notify utility staff and work our hardest to delay any pending disconnection.
If you have a shutoff notice, you have rights. You do not need to agree to a plan that doesn’t work for your budget.
We strongly encourage you to contact your utility and try to set up a payment plan for your past due balance. However, do not accept a payment plan that doesn’t work for your budget. If your utility is asking for too much money, you do not have to accept this arrangement. Everyone in Minnesota is entitled to a payment plan that works for their household budget.
If you can’t reach an agreement that works for you, contact the Consumers Affairs Office at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Tell them that you are behind on your bills. Tell them that you called your utility and you couldn’t reach an agreement on a payment plan that works for your budget. They will intervene and secure a payment plan that works for you.