The Minnesota Energy Assistance Program has raised the maximum amount eligible Minnesota households can receive to pay for emergency fuel deliveries this winter by 150%, it was announced last week. 

The Energy Assistance Program, administered by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, increased the maximum crisis benefit from $600 to $1,500, allowing eligible homeowners and renters to avoid the anxiety of a nearly empty fuel tank.

Funding for the benefit increase is part of a $1 billion federal resolution passed in September. The total budget for the program in Minnesota is nearly $129 million this heating season.

In the past few years, the annual cost of heating an average Minnesota home with heating oil has risen to nearly $3,000 and to $1,900 for propane-heated homes. Since the current Energy Assistance Program year began Oct. 1, nearly 36,000 households have received an average of $561 in Energy Assistance Program benefits. Minnesotans who are eligible to receive assistance are also eligible to request additional crisis benefits to avoid running out of fuel or to prevent utility disconnections. 

To request an Energy Assistance Program application or to find your local service provider:  visit mn.gov/energyassistance; or call  800-657-3710, option 1; or Search online for “Minnesota energy assistance.”