As all Mainers know, staying warm becomes important come November, and critical by December. However, that is easier said than done for many Mainers. The ability to heat your house is an unspoken luxury for some, and not easily done by many. Maine State government and local organizations know this and have some resources established to be able to assist those who struggle to heat their homes. The resource information compiled in this article is from either the State, or the Lincoln County Regional Planning Commission.

One large program you’ve likely heard of is Maine Housing’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), sometimes known as LIHEAP. HEAP assists homeowners and renters by paying for fuel costs, emergency fuel deliveries, energy-related repairs, and utility payments. This year, HEAP opened its applications on Aug. 1, 2025 and applications are accepted until funds run out or May 29, 2026. The HEAP application process requires the applicant to fill out an application and sometimes, complete an interview. You can visit the Maine Housing website to get started. It's worth applying even if you are worried it is too late.

Another resource available is the Low-Income Assistance Program (LIAP). LIAP assists eligible low-income Mainers in paying their electricity bills. LIAP eligibility is based on the HEAP eligibility and if you do qualify, you will receive a credit on your electricity bill based on your income and electricity usage. To see if you can utilize LIAP, please contact Midcoast Maine Community Action. Their address is 34 Wing Farm Pkwy, Bath, ME 04530. If you want to contact them via phone, their toll free number is (800) 221-2221 or contact their Maine number at (207) 442-7963. 

Additionally, to help heat your living space, there is the Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP). ECIP supplies emergency fuel assistance to HEAP-eligible households. If eligible, you could qualify for $800 of emergency funds to avoid having an energy crisis until April 30th. To utilize this resource, contact Midcoast Maine Community Action.

For the Boothbay peninsula (Edgecomb, Boothbay, Boothbay Harbor, Southport), please reach out to the Community Resource Council (CRC) Community Navigator, Hannah Corkum, via phone at (207) 633-6272 or via email at hannah.corkum@crcboothbay.org. The CRC can provide service for heating assistance by servicing any fuel type (including firewood) once a season or 100 gallons (or equivalent in firewood) from Nov. 15 to April 15.

The Community Housing Improvement Project (CHIP) — servicing the towns of Alna, Bremen, Bristol, Damariscotta, Jefferson, Newcastle, Nobleboro, Somerville, South Bristol, Waldoboro, and Whitefield — provides the same services from November to March or until their funds run out. You can apply by contacting their Executive Director, Brittany Gill, at (207) 380-9276 or info@chipinc.org. 

For other areas of Lincoln County, please contact the Central Lincoln County (CLC) YMCA Community Navigator, Karen-Ann Hagar-Smith. Karen’s number is (207) 403-4116 and her email is khagar@clcymca.org. The CLC YMCA can provide services for any type of fuel from November to March. 

Lastly, if these resources are not able to help you, reach out to your town’s General Assistance program. General Assistance has a limited amount of funding for heat and is governed by Maine statute, not local policy. However, if needed, contact your town office and they can help you or refer you to the Community Energy Fund.

If you find yourself with time, talent, or treasure to give, please reach out to one of these great local organizations. If I omitted any resources, it is unintentional, please reach out!