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Maine's emergency aid for households in a heating crisis has been reduced, according to the state Department of Energy Resources' new Winter Heating Guide.
The guide, released Monday, shows the Energy Crisis Intervention Program, which provides one-time emergency fuel deliveries to households that have run out of heating oil, propane or other fuels, now caps benefits at $500 per household, down from $800 a year ago.
The program is separate from the larger, federally funded Home Energy Assistance Program, which helps qualified homeowners and renters with heating costs. Last year, during a mild winter, HEAP provided $18.63 million in assistance spread over more than 38,000 households.
The crisis intervention program, which is aimed as a last resort for residents in a heating emergency, distributed $3.08 million across 7,003 households last winter.
The Maine State Housing Authority, or MaineHousing, plans and manages statewide programs like ECIP, HEAP and the Central Heating Improvement Program (CHIP), setting eligibility rules, distributing federal and state funds and resources, and tracking outcomes.
MaineHousing Communications Director Scott Thistle said ECIP benefits have become smaller one-time awards because of administrative and funding factors.
The "one-time" portion comes from a need to unburden local administrators of paperwork that have limited their ability to respond, he said.
The reduction in payments reflects the last of COVID-19 pandemic relief funds used toward public assistance.
"Otherwise, there are no other significant changes to our programs," Thistle said. "We anticipate serving about the same number of households as 2024-2025 if variables like the severity of the weather and the price of heating fuels stay about the same."
Heating oil prices averaged $3.33 a gallon as of Sept. 29, according to the state energy department. At the same time last year, prices averaged $3.34 a gallon.
According to MaineHousing data, some 1,156 households in Aroostook County received ECIP benefits; 521 in Androscoggin; 350 in Cumberland; 406 in Franklin; 198 in Hancock; 700 in Kennebec; 99 in Knox; 47 in Lincoln; 379 in Oxford; 1,009 in Penobscot; 222 in Piscataquis; 28 in Sagadahoc; 591 in Somerset; 419 in Waldo; 231 in Washington; and 650 in York.
As for other programs, including HEAP, which relies on federal funding that comes down in November, Thistle said, answers can only come after the federal shutdown is resolved by Congress.
The reduction in ECIP funds comes at a time when energy costs across the state, especially electric rates, are higher or remain volatile and household budgets are stretched thin. But Maine's overall energy mix is slowly shifting.
The number of Maine households relying on heating oil, the state's dominant home fuel, has dropped to its lowest point in over 15 years.
The shift reflects the increased use of heat pumps and other electric systems, promoted heavily by the Mills administration, though oil remains the most common heating source.
The reduction in ECIP funds also comes as demand for general heating assistance remains high.
According to 211 Maine, the statewide referral service operated by United Ways of Maine, calls for heating assistance have remained more than double pre-pandemic levels, with more than 5,200 calls and nearly 13,500 referrals in 2024.
"Heating assistance is one of the most common reasons people reach out to us," said Nikki Williams, 211 Maine's program director. "It's also one of the needs where there are very few resources to provide."
Williams said that as housing, food, and utility costs rise, many working Mainers are being pushed into financial trade-offs that can quickly become dangerous during cold months.
The state's 2025-2026 Winter Heating Guide focuses more on energy efficiency and long-term preparedness than previous guides that emphasized various assistance programs.
While MaineHousing's CHIP and Weatherization programs provide grants, Efficiency Maine offers rebates, loans and incentives for energy-saving improvements.
These initiatives help low- and moderate-income households install heat pumps, replace aging heating systems and implement other weatherization strategies including insulation.
"Both CHIP and weatherization programs are about longer-term solutions and increasing efficiency in eligible homes ... (helping) lower energy costs and increase efficiencies, which also tends to be climate friendly as well. " Thistle said. "The HEAP benefit is more of an aid meant to help with a portion of a household's heating/energy costs not pay for all of the expense of heating a home."