Here are the main fuel assistance programs available for Vermonters:
Crisis Fuel Assistance
This is for folks in danger of running out of fuel for home heating, or who may have received a disconnect notice from the utility company. This program provides help to homeowners or renters who pay for their heat or who have heat included in their rent. The program can also help eligible people repair or replace their furnace. A family of four may earn up to $3,926 per month to qualify.
Applications are accepted beginning the last Monday in November through the last Friday in April as long as there is funding.
Seasonal Fuel Assistance
The program helps low-income families pay a portion of their home heating bills. Assistance is for homeowners or renters who pay for heat or who have heat included in the rent (heated renters). Eligibility Criteria: Monthly gross income up to 185 percent of federal poverty levels (adjusted annually). For all eligible households, a single benefit is paid between November and April (firewood/wood pellet payments start in September). For households that pay for heat and their primary fuel type is oil, kerosene, propane, natural gas, or electric, fuel assistance benefits are paid to the fuel supplier.
For households that pay for heat and their primary fuel type is firewood, wood pellets, or coal, benefits are paid by check to the household. For households who have heat included in their rent, benefits are paid by check to the household  beginning in December. Benefit amounts are based on income and average annual heating costs. A family of four may earn up to $3,632 per month to qualify for the program.
To learn more about the fuel assistance programs, log on to http://dcf.vermont.gov/esd/fuel_assistance; call the state’s “Benefits Service Center” at 800-479-6151; or call CVOEO in Middlebury at 388-2285.