More Minnesotans eligible for Energy Assistance, application deadline extended
Published April 22, 2021
More Minnesota households are now eligible for Energy Assistance and have more time to apply for these important benefits.
The household income eligibility guidelines have increased from 50% of the state median income to 60% of the state median income. This applies either to a household’s annual income or the three most recent months of income. Here is a sampling of the new household income eligibility guidelines. (See the Department of Commerce website for income guidelines for households beyond 7 people.)
Additionally, the deadline to apply for Energy Assistance has been extended from May 31 until September 1, 2021.
The Minnesota Department of Commerce, which is the state agency in charge of administering federal Energy Assistance Program dollars, recently made these program revisions as Minnesota is receiving additional federal funding.
The funding will help income-eligible households keep up with their energy bills, deal with increased natural gas bills that resulted from the price spikes in February, and help prevent shut-offs. Some cooperative and municipal utilities have been shutting off customers for non-payment during the Governor’s peacetime emergency. Investor-owned utilities, which were previously prevented from disconnecting customers, will resume disconnections on August 2, but customers with pending or approved Energy Assistance applications will not be disconnected.
Please reach out to your local Energy Assistance provider to ask questions about the program and to submit an application. Applications can be found at the Department of Commerce Energy Assistance webpage.
Households eligible for Energy Assistance may also be able to access affordability programs offered by some utilities that help further reduce the burden of energy bills. The CUB is available to connect energy consumers to the variety of resources available to help pay energy bills. Please reach out to me at carmenc@cubminnesota.org or 651-300-4701 ext. 2 with questions or concerns, or visit our website for additional information.