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On July 10, 2026, the Pennsylvania PUC filled comments supporting the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program State Plan. In its filed comments the Pennsylvania PUC supports the following:

• Maintaining LIHEAP cash and crisis grant levels, including a minimum cash grant of $200, a maximum cash grant of $1,000, a minimum crisis grant of $25, and a maximum crisis grant of $1,000, while encouraging the Department of Human Services to increase benefit amounts if funding permits.
• Extending the LIHEAP application period through 4/9/27 and encourages DHS to keep the program open into the summer months if funding is available to help prevent utility service terminations after winter protections expire.
• Continuing to allow unused LIHEAP funds to be applied to the customer assistance program.
• Continuing the LIHEAP Deferral Program, which funds repairs that allow homes to qualify for weatherization and helps reduce long-term energy costs while improving health and safety.
• Continuing the LIHEAP Clean and Tune Program, which provides preventive heating system maintenance and customer education to reduce emergency repair needs.
• Continuing the LIHEAP Emergency Services Cooling Program, recognizing its importance in addressing life-threatening cooling emergencies during periods of extreme summer heat.
• Including air conditioning repair and replacement as an eligible LIHEAP emergency service when the air conditioning system is integrated into a home’s HVAC system.
• Continuing LIHEAP data sharing with public utilities to simplify enrollment and recertification for Customer Assistance Programs, LIURP, and other hardship programs by eliminating duplicate income documentation.