Submitted Photo The nonprofit PowerLines estimates that 56 million Americans will see higher utility bills in 2026. Photo from Adobe Stock.

Recent arctic blasts are placing additional pressure on North Dakotans juggling heating costs with other needs, and for households with prolonged hardships, state officials are trying a new feature to ensure families stay enrolled in a key aid program.

In 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services switched to year-round applications for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which covers a portion of monthly heating bills for eligible utility customers.

Joshua Haugen, program administrator for the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services, said before, there were specific application periods for each heating season. When too many people signed up at once, it created unintended consequences.

“That was an extra burden on processing those applications in a very short window of time, so that could cause some delays in getting benefits to households that were in need,” Haugen said.

Haugen added enrolled households will now have their eligibility checked each year but there is less paperwork, which he noted can cut down error rates at the administrative level and it will not deter utility customers from reapplying when they need help keeping the heat on.

The program also covers energy efficiency upgrades, like weatherization work for a home. Local Community Action Agencies work with clients on those options after they have been approved.

The assistance program is federally funded and there is distrust among some states over its reliability. In past years when demand has soared, some states exhausted their share before a heating or cooling season ended. Haugen pointed out in North Dakota, demand is a little higher this winter, but he does not think the system will be pushed to its limit.

“At this time, we’re projecting that we will have enough funds to make it all the way through the year without any issue or concerns of running out of funds,” Haugen said.

Congress approved a bill to increase program funding by $20 million. State officials said over the last year, the program helped an average of 37,000 North Dakotans, with an average monthly benefit of nearly $160.