Department of Human Services
Gina Lodge, Commissioner

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (better known as LIHEAP) is a critical heating and cooling program for low-income Tennessee families. Each year, thousands of families seek assistance from one of 19 nonprofit community or local government agencies that help the Department of Human Services administer these federal dollars. Click here for the LIHEAP agency near you

Tennessee households living at or below 125 percent of the federal poverty guidelines are eligible for LIHEAP assistance, as long as funding is available. Click here for poverty guideline chart

Eligibility for LIHEAP assistance is also determined on a priority point system to target households with members who are elderly, disabled and/or under the age of six. Click here for the priority point chart

Funding for the LIHEAP program is limited, and every year Tennessee LIHEAP agencies run of out funding. The average annual allocation to our LIHEAP program is $27 million. This year, Tennessee received $80 million for the heating and cooling assistance program. In an effort to help stretch these valuable federal dollars and serve more families with small children, DHS is establishing a LIHEAP Leverage program. How does it work? For every non-federal dollar donated or allocated to a LIHEAP-eligible family, DHS will provide the local LIHEAP agency with two dollars. Click here for a chart showing each agency’s LIHEAP leverage amount

What counts to help leverage these additional dollars? Click here to find out.

LIHEAP assistance does not go directly to the client or applicant; rather direct payments are made through the LIHEAP agency to the local utility company or energy supplier.

For home energy-saving tips, please visit the Tennessee Regulatory Authority's website or the US Department of Energy at the following site: http://www.energysavers.gov

A more detailed description of LIHEAP services available in your area may be found in the LIHEAP State Plan