Pace Community Action Agency will begin accepting applications Oct. 1 for its 2026-27 Energy Assistance Program.

The program provides a one-time benefit to help income-qualified households in Daviess, Greene, Knox and Sullivan counties offset the cost of their primary heating source. During the previous season, approximately 2,800 households received more than $1.6 million in assistance.

“Households struggling to pay electric or heating costs should apply for assistance,” Pace Client Services Manager Lisa Ritterskamp said. “EAP is not designed to pay a household’s entire utility bill, but to help ease some of the burden of energy costs so families can put more of their resources toward other essential needs like food, rent and medication.”

Beginning Oct. 1, applications may be printed or completed through an online portal on Pace’s website. Paper applications also will be available at Pace locations and most local libraries. Elderly clients who received assistance during the 2025-26 season will receive an application by mail.

Applicants must provide a completed application, Social Security numbers for everyone in the household, proof of income for all adult household members and current full electric and heating bills.

Eligibility determinations may take up to 55 days, and households are encouraged to apply as early as possible. Applicants will receive a letter stating their benefit amount after their application is processed. Approved benefits are paid directly to the household’s utility provider.

Households approved for Energy Assistance also receive protection from utility disconnection through a shutoff moratorium during the program season.

Benefit amounts are determined using a point system and are not based on the amount of a household’s utility bill. Additional assistance may be available to households facing disconnection.

Pace will offer application assistance from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the following dates: