The City of Everett is holding heating assistance office hours on the second Thursday of each month this winter, with National Grid and The Neighborhood Developers on hand to walk residents through the state and utility programs, the city said in a notice on its Facebook page. The sessions run from 3 to 6 p.m. through April, skipping January, which puts the first one on Thursday, November 12.
“Don’t wait until you’re struggling to pay your heating bill to find out what assistance is available,” the city wrote. Residents with questions can call Jonatan Frias at 617-394-2246 or email jonatan.frias@ci.everett.ma.us. The notice did not say where the sessions are held; ask when you call.
Why now
Governor Maura Healey declared a State of Energy Emergency on October 5 after the average Massachusetts price of home heating oil reached $6.08 a gallon on September 28, up 73 percent from $3.52 a year earlier, according to the governor’s office. About one in five Massachusetts households heats with oil. The declaration activates the state’s price gouging rules for petroleum products, removes the solar incentive charge from electric bills for three months, halves the Alternative Portfolio Standard charge this winter, and expands heating aid in two ways.
Mayor Robert Van Campen was quoted in the state announcement. “No senior should have to choose between heating their home, putting food on the table or filling an essential prescription,” he said.
HEAP: more money, same income limits
The Home Energy Assistance Program, the federally funded fuel assistance program, runs from November 1 through April 30, 2027. It pays part of the winter heating bill directly to the heating company, and it covers renters as well as homeowners, including tenants whose heat is included in the rent. Nobody has to be on public assistance or behind on a bill to qualify. Under the governor’s order, the state is adding $15 million so that oil households get 20 percent more than last year and households that heat with gas or electricity get 15 percent more.
Income limits for the 2026-2027 season, at 60 percent of the state median, are $53,585 for one person, $70,073 for two, $86,561 for three, $103,049 for four, $119,536 for five and $136,024 for six, according to the state’s program page. The state lists estimated benefits of $870 to $1,450 for oil and other delivered fuels and $600 to $1,000 for utility heat. One HEAP application also covers the heating system repair program and weatherization.
Everett’s intake agency is Action for Boston Community Development, which handles Malden, Medford, Everett, Melrose, Winchester, Woburn and Stoneham from its Mystic Valley office at 781-322-6284, according to ABCD. Applications can also be filed online at mass.gov/heatinghelp.
The new oil benefit for middle incomes
For the first time, households that earn too much for HEAP but heat with oil can get a one-time emergency payment of up to $680. The window is 60 to 100 percent of the state median income: for a family of four, more than $103,049 and up to $171,749; for one person, up to $89,308; for two, up to $116,788; for three, up to $144,268. The state expects about 50,000 households to qualify. Applications open in December through the same local agencies and the money lasts until April 30, 2027 or until it runs out.
When a resident asked on the city’s page whether the relief was only for oil, the city answered that the new benefit “applies only to oil” and pointed anyone with gas or electric heat to HEAP.
What to bring
HEAP applications require current income documents for the household, and renewals go out by mail to last year’s recipients, according to ABCD. The office hours are a chance to find out which program fits before applying. Source: the city’s notice, the governor’s October 5 announcement and the state’s heating assistance pages.
