How to Apply for the Summer Crisis Program in Ohio: The September 30 Deadline, Income Limits, and Getting an Air Conditioner
The Summer Crisis Program runs from July 1 to September 30 each year. It is not a standing programme you can apply to in November. When it closes, it closes until next July.
Ohio will pay up to $500 toward your electric bill this summer — up to $800 if your electricity comes from a co-op or a city-owned utility — and can buy you an air conditioner on top of it. Start at energyhelp.ohio.gov.
Being 60 is enough on its own
Income alone does not qualify you. You also have to meet one of four conditions — and the first one stops most people from ever reading the other three.
Someone in the household is 60 years of age or older. The state's own wording follows immediately: no medical documentation is required.
Someone in the household has a documented medical condition verified by a qualified medical professional. Lung disease, COPD and asthma are the examples the state gives.
You have a disconnect notice, your service has already been shut off, or you are trying to establish new service.
That first line is the one worth repeating to a parent. There is no letter to get from a doctor, no diagnosis to prove, no waiting for an appointment. Age is the qualifying condition.
$500, or $800
Almost every summary of this programme names one figure. There are two, and which one you get depends on who sends your electric bill.
| Your electric provider | Maximum |
|---|---|
| A regulated utility company | $500 |
| An electric co-operative or a municipal utility | $800 |
Source: Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, Summer Crisis Program.
Rural Ohio runs heavily on co-operatives, and a good many towns run their own electric departments. If that is you, the ceiling is $300 higher than the number you will see quoted everywhere else.
One condition attaches: if the balance on the account is larger than the maximum benefit, you will be asked to make a co-payment on the account. The programme closes a gap; it does not always close the whole one.
The income table
Gross household income at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. These are the figures for the 2026–2027 programme year.
| Household size | 12-month limit |
|---|---|
| 1 | $27,930 |
| 2 | $37,870 |
| 3 | $47,810 |
| 4 | $57,750 |
| 5 | $67,690 |
| 6 | $77,630 |
| 7 | $87,570 |
Source: Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, 2026–2027 income guidelines. Households of eight or more are measured against 60 percent of state median income instead — contact your provider for that figure.
Providers also apply a 30-day income test alongside the annual one. If your income has recently dropped — a job ended, a spouse died — say so, because the shorter window may put you inside the line when the annual figure does not.
Bill help and an air conditioner, not one or the other
This is the second thing most write-ups get wrong. The state's wording is that a household may receive the maximum benefit for bill assistance and receive an additional benefit once per cooling season.
plus one of
— central air conditioning repair
— an air conditioning unit
— a fan
If a central unit died in June, ask about the repair rather than assuming the programme only pays bills. Repair is a named benefit, and for a household with someone over 60 in an Ohio August it is the one that matters most.
How to apply
The state portal lets you begin the application and find the agency that serves your county.
energyhelp.ohio.gov →This programme is delivered by your local Energy Assistance Provider, usually the Community Action Agency for your county. They set an appointment, and they decide what benefits you receive. There is no way to complete it without them.
If the website is difficult, the Ohio Department of Development answers on the telephone and will locate your provider.
Call 1-800-282-0880TDD 1-800-686-1557.
Appointments fill up as the season goes on. August is a better month to call than late September.
If you are already on PIPP Plus
You are not shut out, but one door is closed. PIPP Plus customers cannot use Summer Crisis money toward a PIPP Plus default payment or a first PIPP Plus payment.
What remains open is the cooling side — the air conditioner, the fan, the central air repair. If you are on PIPP and the house is unbearable, that is the conversation to have, and it is a different one from asking for help with the bill.
The year-round Ohio programme that caps the bill at a share of your income, and writes off what you already owe over twenty-four payments.
PIPP Plus Ohio →Seven things that go wrong
If someone in the house is 60 or older, no medical documentation is required. The age is the condition.
Co-operative and municipal electric customers can receive up to $800.
You are not asked to choose. Bill assistance and one cooling benefit are both available in the same season.
A disconnect notice is one route in, but it is not required if someone is 60 or older. Applying early beats applying desperate.
Providers apply a 30-day test as well as an annual one. Recent losses count.
PIPP blocks the payment help, not the air conditioner or the repair.
The programme ends September 30 and appointments run out before the date does.
Questions people ask
Do I have to be behind on the bill?
No. A household member aged 60 or older is a qualifying condition by itself, whatever the state of the account.
Do I own the air conditioner afterwards?
The benefit is the purchase of a unit or fan for your household. Your provider will explain how it is supplied in your county.
I got a fan two years ago. Can I get one again?
The additional cooling benefit is available once per cooling season, but some county agencies apply their own limit on how often equipment is replaced. Ask your provider before assuming either way.
Does this affect my other benefits?
It is energy assistance paid toward a utility account, not income to you.
I rent. Does that matter?
The programme is about the electric account. What your provider needs to see is an account in the household's name and the bill that goes with it.
What if my balance is more than $500?
You will be asked to make a co-payment on the account for the difference. The benefit is a maximum, not a settlement of whatever is owed.
| Programme |
| Home Energy Assistance Summer Crisis Program (SCP) |
| Open |
| July 1 to September 30 |
| Apply and find your provider |
| energyhelp.ohio.gov |
| State line |
| 1-800-282-0880 · TDD 1-800-686-1557 |
| Consumer fact sheet |
| Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel |
Related programs
All year, not just summer PIPP Plus: capping the bill at a share of income → Same application, more programmes How to apply for PIPP Plus in Ohio → The bill after the electric one Ohio Medicare Savings Programs: $202.90 a month → And the one that comes twice a year Homestead Exemption: cutting the property tax bill →Tools you'll need
Sources. Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel, Summer Crisis Program — the July 1 to September 30 window, the $500 regulated and $800 unregulated maximums, the 175 percent income standard and the 2026–2027 income guidelines, the four qualifying conditions including the statement that no medical documentation is required for a household member aged 60 or older, the co-payment rule, the combination of bill assistance with one additional cooling benefit per season, and the PIPP Plus restriction. Ohio Department of Development — the application portal and telephone line.
Verified: August 1, 2026. Income guidelines are revised each programme year and county agencies apply their own scheduling and equipment replacement practices. Confirm with your Energy Assistance Provider.
This page explains a public program. It is not legal or financial advice and it is not an eligibility decision. Only your local Energy Assistance Provider can determine what you qualify for.
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