About the Program

The purpose of cooling assistance is to prevent or help with cooling emergencies resulting from extreme heat. Applications are accepted at the local department of social services from June 15 through Aug. 15.

To be eligible for any type of Cooling Assistance, certain income and citizenship criteria must be met. In addition, the household must contain at least one vulnerable person and there must be a cooling need. The following types of assistance are available if the eligibility conditions are met and the assistance will ensure cooling: purchase or replace and install an air conditioner; repair a central air conditioning unit or heat pump; payment of an electric utility security deposit; payment of the electric bill to operate the cooling equipment.

All program components are operated through the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program block grant. The fuel component has been in existence since 1979 and serves approximately 98,000 households each year, while the crisis component serves approximately 16,000 households. During the Summer of 2003, the cooling component served approximately 32,000 households.

Vendor Information

• Tutorial - Vendor Responsibilities (Web page)

Steps to Apply for Assistance

• Step #1 - Determine Eligibility (Web page)
• Step #2 - Fill out Application Below (Web page)

• Application for Cooling Assistance (PDF)
• Energy Assistance Program Fact Sheet (PDF)
• Energy Assistance Program Information Sheet (PDF)
• Request for Appeal (PDF)