Kentucky utility bill help - year-round programs that help with utility costs
Utility help in Kentucky mostly runs through two places: the community action agency in your county and the utility company themselves. The local community action office usually handles the federal LIHEAP grants, the WinterCare crisis fund, free weatherization, and the funds sponsored by the utility companies themselves, including Kentucky Power's HEART and THAW programs and the bill credit programs from LG&E and KU and from Duke Energy. This guide explains each government program, then covers what every major company offers.
Cooling help is a real part of the system here, not an afterthought. Kentucky's LIHEAP program often has a cooling subsidy in the spring, and the state may provide a free air conditioner when a doctor verifies that someone, even a child, in the home is at risk from heat. Funding for all programs runs out fast. The lesson for any season is the same: apply the day a program opens, because every fund in this guide is first-come, first-served.
One more thing before the program details. Every company on this page offers payment plans, and a payment arrangement made before the disconnection notice arrives is almost always better than anything available after. Call your utility as soon as you know the bill is a problem.
- SCAM WARNING: Utility scams are common in Kentucky and nationwide. All company programs, government benefits and other options are free to apply too. If you ever get a text, call, or email, always call the company directly at their official number to confirm all communication. The page has other common scams to be on the lookout for as well.
Government programs available statewide
LIHEAP — Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
LIHEAP is the largest source of utility bill money in Kentucky, reaching well over one hundred thousand households a year. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services funds it, and Community Action Kentucky runs the applications through local agencies in all 120 counties. Also see the Kentucky community action agency page on this site. The program has three parts. A heating subsidy opens in the fall and credits the household's main heating account. A crisis component runs through the winter for households holding a disconnect notice or down to their last few days of propane, fuel oil, wood, coal, or kerosene. A cooling subsidy has opened in the spring in recent years and pays the household's electric provider.
- Income limits apply, and the exact opening dates shift each year, so contact your agency early in each season. Bring recent utility bills, photo identification, proof of income for everyone in the home, and Social Security cards. Find your county's agency at https://www.capky.org/ or through the office listed on your past LIHEAP paperwork. The NHPB guide to Kentucky LIHEAP explains the components, the income limits, and the application steps in more detail.
WinterCare
WinterCare is Kentucky's shared emergency heating fund. Utility customers and companies donate the money, and community action agencies decide who qualifies and pay it out. The fund goes back to the 1980s, when state regulators pushed nearly every utility in Kentucky to take part, so it covers customers of dozens of companies in almost every county. WinterCare is meant for a household in a true crisis that has already used the other options, and the money is limited each winter. Apply through the community action agency for your county, listed at https://www.capky.org/network. Background on the fund and what to expect when applying is in the NHPB Kentucky WinterCare guide.
Free weatherization
Weatherization is the program that lowers the bill permanently instead of paying it once. Income-qualified homeowners and renters may receive insulation, air sealing, and heating and cooling repairs at no cost, and the work runs year round through the community action agencies. Members of an electric cooperative may get extra work done on the same job, because the co-op power network adds money to weatherization projects in its territory.
- In Louisville, the nonprofit Project WARM has done free weatherization and energy education since 1982. Call Project WARM at 502-636-9276 or see https://www.projectwarm.org. Everywhere else, ask your community action agency for the weatherization waiting list.
Summer cooling help
Free air conditioners through LIHEAP
When Kentucky runs its summer or spring cooling component, the state may provide an air conditioner in addition to a bill credit. The household must have no working unit, and either a doctor must verify in writing that a member's health condition or disability requires cooling, or the home must include a child under six. Apply through your community action agency, and ask specifically about an air conditioner, because the bill credit and the unit are separate requests.
Louisville free air conditioners and fans
Louisville Metro has distributed free portable air conditioners and fans during recent summers through the Office of Social Services, with units purchased by Metro Council districts and community partners. Older residents and people with disabilities have received priority, and the Office for Aging and Disabled Citizens has handed out hundreds of fans in a single season. Supplies depend on the year. Call 502-574-5092 or 502-574-5636 to ask what is available, or call the automated Louisville LIHEAP line at 502-991-8391 during cooling enrollment.
Lexington area air conditioner loans
Community Action Council, the agency serving Fayette, Bourbon, Harrison, and Nicholas counties, has run a donation-funded summer program that loans air conditioners to residents whose doctors verify that heat threatens their health. Call 859-300-6960 to ask whether units are available this season and to schedule any utility assistance appointment with the agency.
The NHPB guide to getting a free air conditioner covers other programs like these across the country, along with charity and church options - see the page on how to get a free air conditioner.
If the power or gas is about to be shut off - what to do now
- Call your utility first. Ask for a payment arrangement or an extension. Every company in this guide offers them, and the options shrink after a final notice.
- Call your community action agency the same day. The agency can tell you which funds are open right now: LIHEAP crisis, WinterCare, HEART, THAW, or a Duke credit, depending on your company and the season. Agency lookup: https://www.capky.org.
- A doctor's letter may buy time. Kentucky utilities have medical certificate procedures that can delay a disconnection for a household member whose health would be endangered. Ask your utility what it requires and pair the certificate with a payment plan.
- 211 is a backup when you are out of ideas. The line is free and can point to church funds and small local charities that no list keeps up with.
Assistance from each utility company
Atmos Energy
Atmos Energy delivers natural gas in western and central Kentucky. The company's Sharing the Warmth fund, built from customer and company donations, helps people who have fallen behind, and local agencies distribute the money first-come, first-served. Atmos also sets up installment plans on past-due balances without charging a fee for the arrangement. Call 888-286-6700 or see https://www.atmosenergy.com/bill-assistance/ to find the agency handling Sharing the Warmth in your county.
Columbia Gas of Kentucky
Columbia Gas serves Lexington, Frankfort, and much of central Kentucky. Call 1-800-432-9345 or see https://www.columbiagasky.com/ for any of the following.
- WinterCare: Columbia Gas customers apply for the statewide fund through their community action agency. The company points its own customers to https://www.capky.org/network to find the right office.
- Fuel fund for exhausted options: A separate heating assistance program, funded by customer donations, exists for Columbia Gas customers who have already used every other available program. The community action agencies administer this one too, so ask about it in the same visit.
- Payment plans: The company offers payment arrangements on past-due balances and a budget plan that evens the bill out across the year. Enrollment is available through the online account or by phone.
Delta Natural Gas
Delta Natural Gas serves over 35,000 customers across 23 counties in central and southeastern Kentucky from its Winchester headquarters. Delta participates in WinterCare, and customers can add a donation to the fund on their monthly bill. Budget billing and automatic payment plans are available, and customers behind on a bill should call to ask about payment help before the account reaches disconnection. Customer service is 888-427-7335, weekdays 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the site is https://deltagas.com/customer-info/help-me-pay.
Duke Energy Kentucky
Duke Energy serves electric and natural gas customers in northern Kentucky, in the counties across the river from Cincinnati. Customer service is 800-544-6900, and the assistance page is https://www.duke-energy.com/home/billing/special-assistance. The NHPB guide to Duke Energy help in Ohio and Kentucky goes deeper on each item: Duke Energy assistance programs.
- WinterCare Fund: Duke sponsors its own WinterCare, administered by the Northern Kentucky Community Action Commission. Applications open each winter and continue until the money is gone. Call the commission at 859-581-6607, schedule an enrollment appointment at 859-439-4004.
- Home Energy Assistance: This program, run with Community Action Kentucky and the NKCAC, has a crisis part for past-due Duke accounts and a subsidy part that credits the bill during the peak winter and summer months. The summer credit makes this one of the few Kentucky programs that directly lowers a cooling bill. Apply through the NKCAC.
- Payment Plus: Income-eligible Duke customers who complete budget counseling and energy education sessions with the NKCAC may earn credits toward their energy bills. Ask the commission about the current schedule.
- Free weatherization: People Working Cooperatively manages free home weatherization for income-qualified Duke customers in northern Kentucky. Call 859-331-1991 to apply.
- Payment plans and budget billing: Duke offers extra days to pay, installment plans on past-due balances, and level monthly billing for accounts with a year of usage history. Call 800-544-6900 before the due date passes.
Kentucky Power
Kentucky Power, part of American Electric Power, serves about 162,000 customers across 20 eastern Kentucky counties from its base in Ashland. The 24-hour customer line is 1-800-572-1113, and the assistance page at https://www.kentuckypower.com/account/bills/pay/assistance/ includes a short survey that matches customers to the programs they qualify for. The NHPB guide to Kentucky Power assistance covers the details.
- HEART: Home Energy Assistance in Reduced Temperatures gives income-qualified customers a set amount of help each month through the winter, with larger monthly amounts for homes heated with electricity. Applications run through the community action agencies, usually starting in the fall.
- THAW: Temporary Heating Assistance in Winter is a one-time hardship payment for customers who need help beyond HEART or do not qualify for it. Applications open in early January at the community action agencies and continue until the fund is spent.
- Average Monthly Payment: AMP levels the bill across a 12-month cycle so a brutal January does not arrive all at once. Enrollment is free through customer service.
- Payment arrangements: Customers make an initial payment and the company divides the rest into installments alongside the current bill. Call before the account goes to a final notice, because a broken arrangement comes due in full.
Kentucky Utilities (KU)
KU provides electricity across central, eastern, and western Kentucky and operates jointly with Louisville Gas and Electric. Customer service is 800-981-0600, and the shared assistance page is https://lge-ku.com/assistance-programs. Several other programs, payment tools, and rate options for KU customers are collected in the NHPB guide to Kentucky Utilities assistance
- WinterCare: KU is one of the fund's founding utilities and matches customer donations. Customers apply through their local community action agency, not through KU itself.
- Home Energy Assistance: Income-qualified KU customers with electric heat may receive a monthly credit on the bill during the peak heating and cooling months. The community action agencies handle enrollment under the current program guidelines, so ask your agency whether the KU credit is open.
- WeCare: This weatherization and energy education program sends a representative to the home, and qualified participants may receive air sealing, insulation, and heating system checks at no cost. Renters and homeowners can both apply if the address has not had the service in three years. Call 800-981-0600 and use fast path 1-5-1, or apply at https://lge-ku.com/wecare.
- Payment tools: KU offers payment arrangements, a budget payment plan, and a one-time late fee waiver for customers with eleven months of on-time payments who ask before the next bill is due.
Louisville Gas and Electric (LG&E)
LG&E provides electricity and natural gas in Louisville and the surrounding counties. Customer service is 502-589-1444, and the assistance page is https://lge-ku.com/assistance-programs. A fuller list of LG&E options is in the NHPB guide to Louisville Gas and Electric assistance.
- Winterhelp: LG&E's version of the winter crisis fund is run by the Community Winterhelp nonprofit through Louisville's neighborhood Community Ministries, and the company matches customer donations. Applications are taken during the winter at the ministry location serving your part of the city. Find your ministry through the Association of Community Ministries at https://www.louisvilleministries.org, or call LG&E for current program information.
- Home Energy Assistance: Like KU, LG&E offers a monthly bill credit program for income-qualified customers, applied during the heaviest heating and cooling months. Enrollment runs through the community action agency under the current guidelines.
- WeCare: The same free weatherization and energy education program described under KU is open to LG&E customers, with priority for older and disabled residents. Apply at https://lge-ku.com/wecare or call 800-981-0600, fast path 1-5-1.
- Payment tools: Payment arrangements, budget billing, and the one-time late fee waiver all apply to LG&E accounts as well. Louisville residents applying for LIHEAP can schedule through the automated line at 502-991-8391.
Electric cooperatives
Member-owned electric cooperatives serve rural Kentucky in 117 of the state's 120 counties, from Jackson Purchase Energy in the far west to Grayson RECC and Cumberland Valley Electric in the east. The programs vary by co-op, so call the number on your bill, but most territories share the same core options.
- WinterCare through your community action agency: The statewide fund covers customers of most co-ops, and the agency handling it is the same one that takes LIHEAP applications.
- Member round-up funds: Many co-ops run donation funds built from members rounding their bills up to the next dollar. Jackson Energy's Operation RoundUP in southeastern Kentucky is one example, reachable at 800-262-7480. Ask your own co-op whether a round-up or hardship fund exists and how to request help from it.
- Extra weatherization money: Co-ops supplied by East Kentucky Power add funding to weatherization jobs done through the community action agencies, which can mean more work completed on a qualifying home. The agency applies this automatically when it applies.
- Payment plans: Co-ops negotiate payment arrangements directly. Jackson Purchase Energy, for example, keeps a payment assistance line at 270-443-4838 with referrals to local funds.
Watch for utility payment scams
Utility imposter scams are common in Kentucky, and several of the companies in this guide post warnings about them. The pattern is a call or text claiming your service will be shut off within the hour unless you pay immediately with a gift card, a wire transfer, or a payment app. Real utilities do not demand payment that way, and a real disconnection never happens with one hour of notice. Hang up and call the number printed on your bill to check your account.
Kentucky utility assistance moderated forum
Kentucky residents post their experiences with these programs, including which agencies had funds and how long applications took, in the NHPB community forum. Reading recent threads may turn up county-level options no directory lists, and questions get answers from people who have been through the process. The conversation is in the forum about Kentucky utility assistance topic. The forum is moderated and free.
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