Almost 107,000 Minnesota households qualified and received support in paying their energy bills for the 2022-23 winter season through the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Energy Assistance Program. The benefits include more than 27,000 households who received emergency assistance to avoid having their heat and power shut off during the cold winter months.  

According to utility reports submitted to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC), about 336,00 households still have past-due utility bills.  These households could be at risk for utility shutoff after April 30 when the Cold Weather Rule protections end for renters and homeowners. 

The PUC and Department of Commerce urge Minnesotans who are struggling to pay their utility bills to take action: 

• Apply for Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program: mn.gov/home. 
• Households who have already received Energy Assistance and who could qualify for additional Energy Assistance crisis benefits should contact their local service provider
• Contact their utility company about options for budget billing plans to avoid disconnection. Consumers can get help working with their utility company by contacting the PUC’s Consumer Affairs Office: 651-296-0406 / 800-657-3782 or consumer.puc@state.mn.us. 

Applications for Energy Assistance are about 10% higher this winter than during the 2021-22 winter season.  One driver for increased applications: A new online application for Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program. 

Earlier this month, after receiving additional federal funding for the Energy Assistance Program, Commerce increased crisis benefit payments for certain households who already qualified for Energy Assistance, including:  

• Households who have had their utilities disconnected, or are pending disconnection;
• Households with less than 20% of propane or heating oil remaining in their tanks;  
• Households with someone age 60 or older 

To receive extra crisis benefits, those qualifying households must contact their local Energy Assistance Program service provider to request the added crisis benefit. Households do not need to re-apply.  But they must request the extra crisis benefits by calling or emailing their local service provider. (Service provider contact info is available on Commerce’s website.) 

“The cold weather this spring is a reminder that Minnesotans, both homeowners and renters, need reliable energy to keep their homes warm and the lights on,” said Katie Sieben, the Chair of the Minnesota PUC. 

“The Energy Assistance Program makes energy affordable for the many Minnesotans who are struggling to pay their utility bills after a long, cold winter,” said Commerce Commissioner Grace Arnold.  “We hope to provide more Energy Assistance, to reach those Minnesotans who qualify for additional crisis benefits, to avoid utility shutoffs. Energy is an equity issue, and we need to ensure all Minnesotans have energy for their homes.” 

Minnesota’s Cold Weather Rule (CWR), which is administered by the PUC, protects residential utility customers from having electric or natural gas service shut off between October 1 and April 30.  Under the CWR, a homeowner or renter can set up an income-based payment plan with their utility company (the utility account must be under the applicant’s name) and would then be protected from shut off. However, once the CWR season ends April 30, Minnesota residents with past-due utility bills can be disconnected from heat and power by their utility company. All natural gas and electric utilities in Minnesota must offer CWR protection, but the law does not apply to delivered fuels such as propane, heating oil and wood. However, propane dealers must offer a budget billing plan. 

Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program helps both renters and homeowners to pay for current and past-due bills for electricity, gas, oil, biofuel and propane, emergency fuel delivery, and repair/replacement of homeowners’ broken heating systems. The program also helps pay past-due water and sewer bills.

Minnesota’s Energy Assistance Program Dashboard, published by Commerce and updated weekly, shows: 

• Almost $87 million has already been paid to 106,695 Minnesota households since October 2022.  
• Almost half of those households have a person over age 60. 
• About one in five households have a child under age 6. 
• Average household benefit is $814. 
• Emergency assistance has been provided to over 27,500 households. 
• Over 14,500 received emergency heating fuel deliveries. 
• Over 4,200 had their furnaces repaired. 

The dashboard also provides data on benefits by race and ethnicity. 

Households have until May 31, 2023, to apply for the Energy Assistance Program this year. 

With one application to the Energy Assistance Program, households may also qualify for water bill assistance and for the Weatherization Assistance Program, which can permanently reduce household energy costs.  

Get updates and news from the Minnesota Department of Commerce by following Commerce at mn.gov/commerce or @MNCommerce on social media. 

MEDIA CONTACTS: 

Mo Schriner, Communications Director
Minnesota Department of Commerce
mo.schriner@state.mn.us

Cori Rude-Young, Communications Director
Minnesota Public Utilities Commission
coriahna-rude-young@state.mn.us