Superior Watershed Partnership Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP)

The Michigan Energy Assistance Program (MEAP) is a state-funded program designed to help you pay utility bills and secure long-term solutions to lower your energy costs. If you are struggling to keep up with your heating or electric bills, MEAP provides direct energy assistance and self-sufficiency coaching to keep your home warm and secure.

Program Eligibility

To qualify for MEAP, your household must satisfy a specific set of criteria established by the state:

• Income Limits: Gross household income must be at or below 150% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) or 60% of the State Median Income (SMI).
• Energy Burden Thresholds: Ongoing assistance is prioritized for households where utilities target standard caps of 4% of gross income for electricity and 2% of gross income for heating.
• Crisis Payments Exception: Immediate emergency or crisis payments do not require an energy burden calculation.
• Shared Bill Responsibility: You may be responsible for paying a calculated portion of your bill.
• Prioritization Status: Applications receive expedited processing if the household includes vulnerable individuals (seniors 60+, children under 5, individuals with disabilities, or anyone experiencing recent homelessness).
• Categorical Eligibility: proof of participation in SNAP, TANF, WIC, Head Start, or SSI are accepted forms of eligibility, however, income statements may result in a higher benefit.
• State Emergency Relief (SER) Status: If approved in the current grant term starting in October, you will not need to upload household income documents to your MEAP application.
• Proof of ID is required for the applicant on the first application each grant term.

Energy Assistance Options

Crisis Payments

Crisis payments provide immediate financial relief to resolve urgent utility emergencies.

• Must have an active past due bill or 30% or less remaining capacity in a deliverable fuel tank.
• Energy assistance limited to your primary heat source only.
• Fixed caps based on fuel type:
  • $600 Cap: Natural Gas, Non-Heat Electricity, and Wood.
  • $900 Cap: Electric Heat, Fuel Oil, and Propane.

Affordable Payment Plans (APPs)

APPs provide structured, long-term relief by capping your monthly utility costs to a manageable percentage of your income.

• Provider Restrictions: Available exclusively to customers of Consumers Energy, DTE Energy, SEMCO Energy, and Upper Peninsula Power Company (UPPCO).
• Energy Burden Benchmarks: Household energy burden must be 4% or more for electricity or 2% or more for heating.
• Electric and heating costs are evaluated as completely separate calculations based on annual income against total energy costs.
• A MEAP Application only needs to be filled out once to maintain your payment plan layout.
• Disenrollment due to non-payment results in loss of plan eligibility.
• Participating households are not eligible for HESA payments.
• Eligibility verfication required every 12 to 24 months.

Home Energy Security Allowance (HESA)

• HESA plans are for energy providers that do not offer a MEAP Affordable Payment Plan.
  • Consumers Energy, DTE Energy, SEMCO Energy and Upper Peninsula Power Company accounts are not eligible for a HESA.
• Household energy burden must be 4% or more for electricity or 2% or more for heating.
• Assistance caps are calculated based on your specific electric or primary source energy burden.
• Households can submit an application up to 4 times per grant term, applying for both heat and electric assistance simultaneously.
• Deliverable fuel oil or propane tanks must be at or below 30% capacity at the time of the request.
• If your information has not changed since your initial application, you only have to fill out a small portion of the subsequent MEAP Application and upload utility bills or quotes to reapply.

Application Process

1. Apply for State Emergency Relief (SER) First: If your household is at or below 150% FPL, you are highly encouraged to submit an emergency application to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) via the MI Bridges website.
   1. You may apply once for electric and once for heat each grant term (October - September).
   2. SWP may be able to help if you are required to make a co-pay.
2. Connect with the SWP: Once your SER application is submitted or approved, you can work directly with the Superior Watershed Partnership.
3. Apply Directly: Connect with the SWP MEAP team by phone at 906-273-2742 x101 or via email at meap@superiorwatersheds.org.