Heating oil tops $6 a gallon in Pennsylvania. State heating aid applications open Nov. 2
About 685,000 Pennsylvania households heat with oil or kerosene, more than twice the share in New Jersey. Here is what the state program offers, who qualifies, and how last winter's delay played out.
Heating oil in Pennsylvania passed $6 a gallon this month, nearly double the price a year ago and the highest level since at least 1990, according to federal energy data cited by WHYY on Monday. A planned federal release of 315,000 barrels from the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve in November is too small to bring prices down much, analysts told WHYY.
That matters more in Pennsylvania than in its neighbors. About 685,000 Pennsylvania households, 13%, heat with oil or kerosene, compared with about 7% in Delaware and just over 5% in New Jersey, WHYY reported.
The bigger winter picture
Heating costs overall are projected to rise nearly 9% this winter, and household spending on heating oil about 21%, the largest increase of any major fuel, WHYY reported earlier this month, citing the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and the U.S. Energy Information Administration. About 400,000 Pennsylvania households had utility service shut off in 2025, nearly 14% more than the year before, according to the same report.
What the state offers
The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program is federally funded and run by the state Department of Human Services. The 2026-27 season "is scheduled to open on November 2, 2026," according to the department's LIHEAP page.
- Cash grants of $200 to $1,000, paid directly to the utility or fuel company. The amount depends on household size, income and heating fuel.
- Crisis grants for emergencies, with benefits within 10 business days or sooner in life-threatening situations. Crisis help goes through county assistance offices.
- Income limits are $23,940 a year for one person, $32,460 for two and $49,500 for a family of four, with $8,520 added for each additional person.
- How to apply: online through COMPASS, by calling the LIHEAP hotline at 1-866-857-7095, or at a county assistance office. Everyone has to reapply each year.
For customers of regulated electric and gas utilities, the state's winter shutoff protections start Dec. 1 for households at or below 250% of the federal poverty level, WHYY reported.
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What last winter showed
Last year the federal government shutdown pushed the LIHEAP opening from Nov. 3 to Dec. 3, according to a November 2025 release from the governor's office. The administration and the Public Utility Commission got utilities to agree not to shut off heat or electricity in November for customers eligible for the program. In the same release, the head of the Pennsylvania Utility Law Project said households that heat with oil or propane, and customers of electric cooperatives and municipal utilities, "remain at risk," and urged those providers to take similar steps.
This year the program is scheduled to open on time.
What happens next
Applications open Monday, Nov. 2. Anyone can check application status at trackmybenefits.pa.gov, according to the department's page.