TOLEDO, Ohio — Cold weather is coming, and if your heating bill is one shutoff notice away from a crisis, help opened today.

Ohio’s Home Energy Assistance Winter Crisis Program began accepting applications Sunday, Nov. 1, offering one-time help with home heating bills to income-eligible Ohioans, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services. The program runs through March 31, 2027.

WHO QUALIFIES: households facing a service disconnection; households already disconnected; families that need to establish new service or pay to transfer it; and households with 25% or less of bulk fuel — like propane, heating oil, or kerosene — left in the tank. To qualify, a household must have a gross annual income at or below 175% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, that’s $57,750.

HOW TO APPLY: start an application online, then schedule an appointment with your local energy assistance provider to complete it. Find your provider and start at energyhelp.ohio.gov. One catch: if your utility is regulated by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and a balance remains after the assistance, you must sign up for a payment plan — such as the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP) — to qualify.

WHY IT MATTERS: last year, the Winter Crisis Program helped more than 73,000 Ohio households, delivering $25.5 million in benefits. The funding flows through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which released $3.6 billion in fiscal 2027 block-grant funding on Oct. 9.

Bottom line for Lucas County: if you’re behind on the gas or electric bill — or your propane tank is running on fumes — today is the day to start. Apply at energyhelp.ohio.gov before a disconnection notice becomes a disconnection.

Featured image: A residential electronic thermostat (Stuuf / Wikimedia Commons).