Connecticut has set aside $12.7 million in state money so that about 32,893 households that heat with delivered fuel can receive their heating benefits at the same time, instead of using up one benefit before the next. Program-paid fuel deliveries start Nov. 2, and the last day to apply this winter is May 31, 2027.
Gov. Ned Lamont’s office announced the money on Oct. 13. It supplements the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program, known as CEAP, which is the state’s version of the federal LIHEAP heating aid.
What the $12.7 million does
The money comes from the state’s Federal Cuts Response Fund and, according to the governor’s release, lets deliverable-fuel households get their CEAP benefits at the same time. Lamont said the state cannot leave these households “out in the cold.” About $250.6 million remains in the fund after this use.
The 32,893 households are part of the roughly 94,291 homes the state expects to serve with CEAP this season. Deliverable fuel means the kind that arrives by truck. The state’s winter heating page gives oil, kerosene and propane as examples.
Anyone who heats with oil, kerosene or propane in Connecticut is the household this is aimed at. The first program-paid delivery date is Nov. 2, 2026, and the state says applications have been open since Sept. 1. A household that has not applied yet is the one with something to do this month.
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Who can get CEAP and how much it pays
CEAP is open to households with income at or below 60% of the state median, which is $93,681 for a family of four in the 2027 federal fiscal year. Households that receive SNAP, Temporary Family Assistance or Supplemental Security Income may qualify through that benefit. The release says CEAP puts priority on households with someone age 60 or older, children under 6, or a person with a disability.
Basic benefits for this season run from $355 to $705, depending on household size, income and heating source, the state’s winter heating page says. The state plan also describes a crisis benefit of $430 per issuance, up to three times, for households in an emergency. Benefits are usually paid straight to the utility or fuel vendor, not to the household.
CEAP is an annual benefit, so a household that got help last winter has to apply again. The state’s commissioner of social services, Andrea Barton Reeves, said residents should “apply early and not wait until they are facing a heating emergency.”
How to apply and what to expect on delivery day
The fastest route is the state’s heating help site, which says it is now accepting 2026-2027 applications. Applications can also be sent in by mail or email, or brought in person by appointment, through the local community action agency. The release says callers can reach their local agency through 2-1-1.
The state page says an application typically takes 30 to 45 minutes. A mailed application must be postmarked by May 31, 2027. Deliverable-fuel households that apply late may still send in paid invoices for fuel bought between Nov. 2 and April 1.
Nov. 2 is the first day the program will pay for fuel deliveries, not a date by which the application must be filed. A household that runs low before then pays for any earlier fill-up on its own.
The state’s winter heating page lists more than the basic benefit. It describes payment matching plans, shut-off protection and help with repairing or replacing heating equipment for households that qualify. Anyone with a broken furnace or a past-due fuel account can ask about those options when applying, since they can matter as much as the delivery benefit itself.
Basic benefits are sized by the household’s heating source, so a deliverable-fuel household and a household on a utility bill do not get the same amount. For the highest tier, the state plan lists $705 for vulnerable households and $655 for others, and the lowest tier is $405 and $355.
Why oil households are watching this winter
The National Energy Assistance Directors Association projects the average oil-heating bill will rise by about $878 this winter, from about $1,749 to about $2,627. For New England, the group puts the increase at about $1,000 more per household.
At that price, a basic CEAP benefit of $355 to $705 covers only part of one season’s oil. That is why timing matters: benefits that can be used together, with deliveries starting Nov. 2, give a household a chance to line up a fill-up before the coldest weeks.
Lamont also urged Congress and President Trump to send more federal heating assistance dollars to the states, which signals the state money is a supplement and not a replacement for federal funding.
Heating with oil or propane in Connecticut and not yet applied?
A household that waits until the tank is nearly empty has less room to work with. The state says CEAP is annual, the application takes 30 to 45 minutes, and the aid covers only part of what oil costs this winter.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit pulls together heating, cooling and home-repair help for older homeowners, so CEAP is one line on a list instead of the only plan. Its Part 5, Utilities and Home Costs, covers help with heat and power bills, and the kit includes an application log for keeping track of each program and date.
More Financial Reading
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- 17 Medicare Money Moves Now That Part D Caps at $2,400
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
