Before the first cold snap: stack Philadelphia’s heating help in this order

Our LIHEAP guide covers the season’s main heating grant — this post is its companion: the rest of the stack, in the order to apply, while it is still fall. Every week you wait moves you closer to the part of winter when Crisis money gets tight and shut-off notices start arriving. The households that come out of winter cleanest do these steps in November.

Step 1 (November 2) — LIHEAP first, on purpose

LIHEAP opens Monday, November 2, 2026. Apply for the Cash grant first even if your bills are current — because Philadelphia’s emergency grant program, UESF, requires a LIHEAP Cash and Crisis application first during the season. Skipping step one can stall step four. Full walkthrough in the LIHEAP post.

Step 2 (same week) — Cap your monthly bills by income

These three programs do not pay a bill once — they reset what you owe every month, and forgive old debt as you pay on time:

• PECO CAP — PECO customers pay a percentage of income instead of the full bill: about 2–4% for electric service (about 6–10% if you heat with electricity) and about 4–6% for gas, with minimum bills of $10 (electric) / $20 (heat or gas). Each on-time payment also forgives 1/12 of your past-due balance. See our PECO CAP page.
• PGW CRP — PGW customers pay about 4% of income (lowest incomes) to 6%, with a $25 minimum bill, and each on-time payment forgives 1/36 of the old balance. Apply online, by mail, or by fax — PGW takes no CRP applications by phone or email. See our PGW CRP page.
• Water TAP — the Water Department caps bills at about 2–3% of income by band, and forgives 1/24 of your pre-TAP water debt with every payment — pay 24 months and the old debt is gone. Seniors: check the separate water senior discount too — 25% off at 65+ with income under $42,100 in 2026. See our Water TAP page and senior discount page.

Step 3 (any time) — Free hands on the paperwork

Philadelphia’s Neighborhood Energy Centers, run by the Energy Coordinating Agency, help residents apply for exactly these programs, plus weatherization and heater help — free, in your neighborhood. Find your center at ecasavesenergy.org or call 215-609-1000. Two related doors: if your heater breaks, the Heater Hotline (215-568-7190) serves households up to 150% of the poverty level, and weatherization (free insulation and efficiency work, up to 200% of poverty, through PHDC) cuts every future bill — both reward applying before the first real cold snap, because winter waitlists are the longest of the year.

Step 4 (if a shut-off notice lands anyway) — The emergency layer

• UESF grants can zero out a past-due bill: up to $1,250 for PECO (households up to 150% of poverty) and $3,000 for water (up to 300% of poverty) — your grant, any utility match, and your own payment must together bring the account to $0. LIHEAP first, in season (step 1 is what unlocks this). Intake: 215-972-5170. See our UESF page.
• PECO MEAF adds up to $500 per fuel type for PECO customers up to 200% of poverty — applied for through that same UESF intake. See our MEAF page.
• PGW Hardship Funds combine a UESF grant with a PGW credit, up to $1,500 combined, for households up to 175% of poverty. See our PGW Hardship page.

What the winter moratorium does — and does not — do

Pennsylvania’s winter shut-off moratorium runs December 1 to March 31 for protected customers. It pauses shut-offs; it does not pay the bill. Every dollar of a winter balance is still owed in April — unless CAP or CRP already shrank it and on-time payments forgave part of the old debt. That is the entire argument for November: the moratorium is a safety net, but the stack is a solution.

Run the checker and we will screen LIHEAP, CAP, CRP, TAP, and UESF from your answers in about two minutes — then work the steps above in order, before the first cold snap makes them urgent. Our utility help guide keeps the full stack on one page all winter.

Not a government agency. Applying is always free at the official sites.