Residents who are disabled, 60 and older, or in crisis, may apply now

With recent overnight temperatures falling below freezing in parts of the state, the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC) is reminding Iowa electric and natural gas customers who may be struggling to pay utility bills to make payment arrangements with their provider before the annual winter moratorium on service disconnections begins Friday, November 1.

Iowa's winter moratorium law prevents utilities from disconnecting customers' electric or natural gas utility service for nonpayment between November 1 and April 30 when that service is used for home heating.

Limited financial energy assistance in Iowa is available through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The annual application period runs from November 1, 2024, through April 30, 2025. Households with a resident 60 years or older, those who are disabled, and those in crisis are eligible to apply now.

LIHEAP is a federally funded program designed to help low-income homeowners and renters pay a portion of their primary home heating costs through a one-time payment made directly to the utility or heating fuel vendor.

The program is administered by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and individuals can apply through their local community action agency. During fiscal year 2023, Iowa provided 82,904 households with LIHEAP funding to assist with a portion of their heating costs. For the 2024-2025 heating season, HHS anticipates Iowa's LIHEAP funding will be approximately $52 million, which may change based on a final budget passed by Congress.

Although qualified applicants cannot be disconnected during the annual winter moratorium, the IUC urges all LIHEAP-certified customers to continue paying toward their energy bills through the winter to avoid accumulating high debt and face potential utility service disconnection after April 1.

Customers currently disconnected must contact their utility provider to make payment arrangements to restore service.