Harris County Utility Assistance Programs: Applying and Crisis Help

If you live in Harris County and need help paying an electric, gas, or propane bill, the main program is the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program, known as CEAP. It’s federally funded, administered locally by BakerRipley, and pays your utility provider directly on your behalf. Households at or below 150% of the federal poverty level qualify. For a family of four in 2026, that means a yearly income of no more than $49,500.¹²

A note on water bills before going further: the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program has ended. Texas stopped taking applications on November 3, 2023, and no further funding is available.³ For water assistance now, calling 2-1-1 is the best route to local charities that may still offer limited help.

Income Limits for 2026

CEAP eligibility runs off the annually updated federal poverty guidelines. For 2026, in the 48 contiguous states:²

1 person: $23,940 per year ($1,995/month)
2 people: $32,460 per year ($2,705/month)
3 people: $40,980 per year ($3,415/month)
4 people: $49,500 per year ($4,125/month)
5 people: $58,020 per year ($4,835/month)
6 people: $66,540 per year ($5,545/month)
7 people: $75,060 per year ($6,255/month)
8 people: $83,580 per year ($6,965/month)

Household income counts wages, Social Security, unemployment, SNAP, TANF, retirement, disability, and child support for every household member 18 or older. Any adult in the home who has no income needs a Texas Workforce Commission Wage Detail Inquiry printout dated within 30 days of your application.⁴

Federal rules direct the largest benefits to households with the lowest incomes and highest energy burdens. Agencies also target outreach to households with someone 60 or older, a person with a disability, or a child under six, and weight those applications more heavily in the benefit formula.⁵

Documents to Gather Before You Start

BakerRipley wants paperwork on every person in the household, not just you. Pulling it together first will save real time.⁴

Photo ID for each household member: a state driver’s license, passport, Matrícula Consular, or school ID. You also need a Social Security card for every person in the home. A Social Security card plus a U.S. birth certificate can stand in for the other IDs.
Proof of citizenship or legal residency for each household member: a U.S. passport, U.S. or state-issued birth certificate, Certificate of Naturalization, or permanent resident card.
Proof of income for the last 30 days for every household member 18 or older. Pay stubs showing gross wages, Social Security or SSI award letters, unemployment statements, TANF or SNAP benefit letters, retirement or disability income statements, and child support records all count.
Your most recent electricity, gas, or propane bill. You don’t need a year of history.

If anyone in the household lacks a Social Security number or ITIN, you can’t finish the online application. Call BakerRipley’s Utility Assistance Hotline at 713-590-2327 to schedule an in-person appointment instead.⁴

How to Apply Through BakerRipley

BakerRipley accepts one application per household per calendar year. The online portal opens on dates announced on their website, so check before you begin. You’ll need a cell phone number to create your account and an email address for status updates.⁴

Uploaded files must be PDF or JPEG, no larger than 5 MB each. Add every household member before you submit, because you can’t add people afterward. Names should match the identification documents exactly.

After you submit, you’ll get a six-digit application number for checking status online. Expect written notice of the outcome within about six weeks. Approved funds go straight to your utility provider. No check comes to you.⁴

If Disconnection Is Imminent: Crisis Assistance

Six weeks is too long when the power is about to go off. Texas rules require CEAP agencies to handle crisis cases on much shorter clocks once your application is complete:⁶

Extreme weather or disaster: within 48 hours.
Life-threatening crisis: within 18 hours.

Crisis assistance applies when service is already off or an imminent disconnection is scheduled. The clock starts once a representative accepts your application and finishes the eligibility review. If you’re in a genuine emergency, say so at the very start of the intake conversation.

Texas Rules That Can Delay Disconnection

Several state protections may buy time while your application moves. Utility companies don’t always volunteer them.

Notice Requirements

Before shutting off electric service, your provider must send a separate written notice in English and Spanish with a disconnection date at least ten days out. That date cannot fall on a weekend or holiday, and the notice must tell you about payment plans, deferred payment agreements, and assistance programs.⁷ Disconnection is also barred on the day before a weekend or holiday unless staff are on hand that day to take payment and restore service.

Extreme Weather Emergencies

Electric providers cannot disconnect any customer during an extreme weather emergency as defined by National Weather Service advisory criteria.⁸ Retail providers must also offer deferred payment plans for bills coming due during those periods. In a county where summer heat advisories are routine, this rule matters.

Medical Protection

If losing service would seriously harm someone in the household, disconnection can be prevented for up to 63 days from when the bill was issued. The person’s physician must contact the utility by the disconnection date, then submit a written statement, and you must enter a deferred payment plan. The certifying provider can be a medical doctor, doctor of osteopathy, nurse practitioner, registered nurse, or other public health official.⁷

Deferred Payment Plans With Your Provider

When you tell your retail electric provider you’re having trouble paying, they’re required to walk you through the available options, including deferred payment plans, medical disconnection protections, and low-income assistance programs.⁹ Ask directly.

A deferred payment plan stretches your past-due balance across installments that run beyond the current bill’s due date. The provider must put the terms in writing: total owed, number and size of each installment, and length of the plan. No finance charges are allowed. You still owe your current monthly bill on top of the installments, and missing installments can restart the disconnection process after the normal notice.

Signing a deferred plan lets the provider place a switch-hold on your account, meaning you can’t move to a different electricity provider until the past-due balance is paid off.⁹

Options From Specific Providers

Reliant CARE

Reliant’s Customer Assistance and Relief for Energy program routes customers in hardship to partner agencies that may help cover the electricity bill. Each partner sets its own eligibility rules, and you may need to show your last bill and a disconnection notice. Coverage may not equal the full balance, and the process can take up to eight weeks after approval. If you’re under an active disconnection notice, say so; the agency may be able to move faster.¹⁰

CenterPoint Payment Tools

CenterPoint Energy doesn’t offer direct financial help, but has two no-fee options. A payment extension shifts your due date once to avoid a late fee, and a payment arrangement splits a bill into installments over a set period. Missing an installment or falling behind on current charges ends the arrangement.¹¹

Weatherization for Longer-Term Relief

Paying this month’s bill won’t fix a home that leaks air. The Weatherization Assistance Program sends a contractor to audit your home and install improvements at no cost.¹² Typical work includes ceiling, wall, and floor insulation; caulking and weather-stripping; sealing holes in the building envelope; duct repair or replacement; and tuning up, repairing, or replacing inefficient heating and cooling systems. The program also provides energy education.

Income eligibility is generally set at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Priority goes to seniors, people with disabilities, households with young children, and high energy users. Wait lists are common because demand outstrips available slots, so apply early even if things aren’t yet urgent.

When to Dial 2-1-1

If you’re unsure where to begin, CEAP funds have run out for the year, or you need water bill help now that LIHWAP has closed, dial 2-1-1. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission operates the helpline to connect residents with local utility, food, and social service programs, and it’s the referral point recommended by CenterPoint and Reliant alike.

1
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program
2
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 2026 Poverty Guidelines
3
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Texas Utility Help (TUH) Website for Utility Assistance Is CLOSED
4
BakerRipley. Utility Assistance
5
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Model Plan
6
Legal Information Institute. Texas Administrative Code 10-6.310 – Crisis Assistance Component
7
Public Utility Commission of Texas. Texas Administrative Code Chapter 25 – Substantive Rules Applicable to Electric Service Providers
8
Public Utility Commission of Texas. PUCT Emphasizes Consumer Protection Rules as Summer Heat Sets In
9
Public Utility Commission of Texas. Texas Administrative Code Chapter 25.480 – Bill Payment and Adjustments
10
Reliant Energy. Customer Assistance and Relief for Energy Bills (CARE) Program
11
CenterPoint Energy. Need Help Paying Your Bill
12
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Weatherization Assistance Program