No-Heat Assistance

If you’re facing a no-heat emergency in your home, there is assistance available to help. Below is a list of assistance programs and support services that can help in no-heat situations. The items are listed in the order we recommend you reach out to each party before moving onto the next. Many of these services require documents from other agencies for you to qualify. If you need help navigating these options, please contact your local Community Energy Advisor

HERR - HEAP

If you are a homeowner and eligible, the Heating Equipment Repair and Replacement (HERR) benefit can help you repair or replace your furnace, boiler, and other direct heating equipment necessary to keep your home's primary heating source working.

Benefit amounts are based on the actual cost incurred to repair or replace your furnace, boiler, and/or other essential heating equipment, $4,000 for a repair and $8,000 for a replacement.

You may call your Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) Local District Contact to apply. An eligibility interview is required for all HERR applications but may be completed in person or by telephone. The participating Heating Equipment Repair vendor list can be obtained by accessing the HEAP Participating Vendor List. Select your county of residence and “Furnace Repair” as the fuel type and then press “Go.”

The 2024-2025 HERR benefit opened on October 1, 2024.

Emergency HEAP Benefit

The Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) has an Emergency HEAP Benefit. You may be eligible for an Emergency HEAP benefit if:

  • Your electricity is necessary for your heating system or thermostat to work and is either shut off or scheduled to be shut off or

  • Your electric or natural gas heat is off or scheduled to be shut-off or

  • You are out of fuel, or you have less than one quarter tank of fuel oil, kerosene or propane or have less than a ten (10) day supply of wood, wood pellets, corn, or other deliverable heat source.

  • Your household's gross monthly income is at or below the current income guides for your household size 

  • You receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or

  • You receive Temporary Assistance (TA) or

  • You receive Code A Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Living Alone and

  • The heating and/or electric bill is in your name and

  • Your household's available resources are:

    • less than $2,500; or

    • less than $3,750 if any member of your household is age 60 or older, or under age 6.


The 2024-25 Emergency HEAP Benefit opens Jan. 2, 2025. In the meantime, you can apply for regular HEAP benefits for help paying your utility bills. Learn more about the Emergency HEAP Benefit by visiting HEAP’s website. Contact your local Department of Social Services to apply for this program.

AND

Project Share

The Project SHARE Heating Fund is designed to help income-eligible NYSEG customers with active disconnect notices in its service areas. The fund is administered by HeartShare Human Services of New York. To receive a Project SHARE Heating Fund grant, you must:

  • Have an active NYSEG or RG&E account

  • Meet the HEAP income guideline

  • Have an active disconnect notice

  • Exhausted all other assistance programs, such as HEAP, Emergency HEAP and local or county emergency aid

  • Must have shut-off notice and denial from DSS during HEAP (they are flexible with requiring DSS denial letters).

Visit NYSEG’s website for more information.

NYSEG Customer Advocate

A NYSEG Customer Advocate provides contact, counsel, and advocacy for residential customers facing special hardships and having difficulty paying their NYSEG bill. The NYSEG Customer Advocate can also make recommendations to help solve problems and make referrals to other services provided by NYSEG and community agencies.

Request a Customer Advocate by calling the general customer helpline number: 1-800-572-1111.

If a customer is elderly (62 and over), blind, or disabled (any age) they may request the help of a Customer Advocate. If someone is on life-sustaining equipment, they should call a Customer Advocate in advance of an emergency and let the Customer Advocate know this so that, in the event of an electric outage, the Customer Advocate can assist with utility restoration as quickly as possible.

Public Utility Law Project

Utility consumers often need an advocate in their corner and sometimes even legal representation to ensure fair and affordable access to service. That’s where New York’s Utility Law Project can help. They tackle common problems like getting service, preventing shutoffs, filing complaints, finding energy efficiency programs, and applying for assistance with utility bills.


The Public Utility Law Project of New York, Inc., a 501c3 nonprofit organization, has been advocating for universal service, affordability, and customer protection for New York State utility consumers since 1981. Call 877-669-2572 or email info@utilityproject.org for more information.