Salt Lake City — Applications are now open for Utah’s Home Energy Assistance Target (HEAT) program to help pay summer cooling costs. 

HEAT provides year-round energy assistance, and cooling applications are accepted from April through September. HEAT helps eligible households pay for home heating, cooling, and water assistance. Last year, HEAT assisted more than 26,000 Utah households with their utility bills. This year, households may apply for cooling assistance even if they already received a heat benefit this season. 

“This has been a financially challenging year for many Utahns between rising housing costs and the continued pandemic,” says Housing and Community Development Division HEAT Program Manager Sisifo Taatiti. “Helping our clients get relief from home energy costs frees them up to pay other bills, which ultimately provides stable housing.”

To qualify, the household income is at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level or about $41,625 per year for a family of four. Priority for assistance is given to households with the highest energy burden in relation to the household income while considering vulnerable individuals such as young children, individuals with disabilities, and elderly family members. The cooling benefit runs April – September, while the heating benefit runs October – March. 

The Housing and Community Development Division within the Utah Department of Workforce Services administers the HEAT program through a statewide network of local community-based organizations. Funding for HEAT is provided by the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program grant (LIHEAP) administered through the US Department of Health and Human Services. 

To learn more about the program and how to apply visit: jobs.utah.gov/heat or call 2-1-1.