By Staff Reporter
ALBANY — New York will raise its heating assistance for families who rely on delivered oil, kerosene and propane this winter. But at Western New York prices, the larger check will buy fewer gallons than last year’s smaller one did.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Friday that the state’s Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP, will open for applications on Monday, Nov. 2. The base benefit for households that heat with oil, kerosene or propane goes up $90, to $990. For wood, pellets, coal and other delivered fuels, it goes up $65, to $700. Families who heat with utility gas or electricity get a $400 base benefit under the state’s 2026-27 HEAP desk guide.
The governor’s office said 132,462 Western New York households are among those eligible, as reported by Buffalo Toronto Public Media. A family of four can earn up to $6,852 a month, or $82,230 a year, and still qualify.
The arithmetic of a bigger check
The state says the increase is meant to let households buy a minimum fuel delivery after prices spiked. The numbers show how far behind the benefit has fallen.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority’s weekly survey puts the average price of heating oil in its Western region at $6.44 a gallon, up from $3.91 a year ago, WENY reported. Statewide the average is $6.21, up 67 percent from $3.72.
At last year’s Western New York price, a $900 base benefit bought about 230 gallons. At today’s price, a $990 benefit buys about 154 gallons. That is a third less fuel for a household that may burn hundreds of gallons in a winter.
“A typical winter, you might use 800 gallons,” Tom Kloza, chief energy advisor for Gulf Oil, told WKBW. “At $6 and change, you’re talking about a $5,000 bill to keep warm this winter.”
Mr. Kloza said the problem is the supply of refined fuel, not just crude oil. “We’ve got the lowest inventories we’ve seen in my lifetime,” he said. “And I’ve been in this business for 50 years.”
Michael Casciano, president of NOCO, told WKBW that customers are already buying less at a time. “We’re going to see more deliveries per household, because people aren’t going to be able to fill up the whole tank just because of the price,” he said.
WKBW, citing Census figures, reported that more than 17,000 homes across the eight counties of Western New York use heating oil as their main fuel. The highest shares are in Orleans and Wyoming counties.
Albany’s message, and Washington’s money
At Friday’s event, Ms. Hochul blamed the price spike on Washington. “Donald Trump’s war with Iran is driving up the cost of everything, cost of gas, utilities, groceries, the tariffs as well,” she said, according to the governor’s rush transcript.
The Buffalo Chronicle is seeking comment from the White House on the governor’s remarks and will update this story with any response.
She also said HEAP’s funding is at risk. “This is a federally funded program,” Ms. Hochul said. “Last year, he literally withheld HEAP funding during a 43 day shutdown.”
That is the core weakness in the state’s winter plan: HEAP runs on federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program dollars, and the federal budget is unsettled. Congress is funding the government under a stopgap, Public Law 119-103, which runs through Dec. 11. On Oct. 9, the federal Administration for Children and Families released $3.63 billion in LIHEAP block grants to the states. That is 90 percent of the annualized amount the stopgap makes available. The rest depends on what Congress does next.
On Oct. 14, a group of House members asked appropriators for an extra $3 billion in emergency LIHEAP funding for fiscal 2027. The signers included Reps. Tim Kennedy of Buffalo, Josh Riley, John Mannion, Paul Tonko and Pat Ryan of New York. The letter says that last year’s roughly $4 billion “would fall significantly short” and that “five out of six families who qualify for LIHEAP receive no financial assistance due to the program’s woefully underfunded status.” Congress has not acted on the request.
Questions the numbers raise
The governor’s own figures don’t agree on how many people HEAP reaches. Her office’s written release says “more than 1.5 million HEAP benefits were issued last heating season.” In her remarks, Ms. Hochul said: “Last year, we issued 1.3 million HEAP benefits totaling $400 million.” The governor’s office did not explain the difference.
Other questions remain open as the program starts. How much of New York’s federal allocation has arrived? Will Albany cover a shortfall with state money if Congress lets the stopgap lapse or doesn’t fund the last 10 percent? And will emergency benefits, which open Jan. 4, 2027, last through a cold February? The governor’s release does not say.
State Sen. Roxanne J. Persaud, D-Brooklyn, hinted at the limits in the governor’s own release. “As federal HEAP funding is not infinite, I encourage those income-eligible households that are not automatically enrolled to apply once the program opens on November 2nd,” she said.
Assemblymember Didi Barrett, D-Hudson Valley, said the larger benefit for delivered fuel matters because those households “often are not eligible for our existing energy affordability programs,” which are built around utility bills.
How to apply
Most households that receive HEAP get it automatically, according to the governor’s office. Others can apply starting Nov. 2 online at ny.gov/HEAP, at county social services offices or by mail. Households that pay for heat directly and earn at or below 130 percent of the federal poverty level can get an extra $61. Households with someone 60 or older, a child under 6 or a permanently disabled member can get an extra $35.
Editor’s note: This story’s headline and wording were revised on Oct. 23, 2026, for balance and accuracy.
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