Help paying utility bills in Maine

Rights Maine law guarantees before a disconnection

Maine law, at Title 35-A, section 704, requires the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to set disconnection rules for electric delivery, gas, water and telephone utilities in its jurisdiction. Those rules must give you written notice that your bill is unpaid and that disconnection is coming. Before service is cut, you have the right to enter into a reasonable installment payment arrangement, to settle a dispute at an informal hearing with the utility, and to appeal the utility's decision to the Commission. The law also bars disconnection during a limited medical emergency, so tell the utility right away if someone in the home is ill. The details sit in the PUC's Chapter 815 consumer protection rules, which Versant Power's terms say make residential bills due 25 days after the postmarked date.

HEAP from MaineHousing and your community action agency

MaineHousing runs the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Maine's version of the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). It helps homeowners and renters with heating costs and emergency fuel delivery, and eligible households can also qualify for energy-related repairs and utility payments. Local Community Action Agencies and ProsperityME handle applications. You can apply online, or call your local agency to set up a phone or in-person appointment. For the 2026 to 2027 season, applications opened August 3, 2026 and continue until May 29, 2027 or until funds run out. Bring every document your agency requests, because an incomplete file is denied. If your income is just over the limit, ask about deducting part of what you paid for eligible medical expenses.

Crisis fuel help and town General Assistance

If your heating fuel is nearly gone, the Energy Crisis Intervention Program (ECIP) may help. Start by filling out a HEAP application, then contact your local Community Action Agency to see whether you qualify for crisis help. ECIP for the 2026 to 2027 season runs from November 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027. Maine cities and towns also run General Assistance, a local safety net program. Versant Power notes that it may help with a current electric or heating bill and that eligible households can apply every month. Call your town or city office to make an appointment. Bring your disconnection notice and recent bills to each office so staff can see the exact amount and date, and ask the utility for a short extension while you wait.

Low Income Assistance Program discounts

Maine law directs the PUC to fund low-income help through money collected by all electric delivery utilities. The resulting Low Income Assistance Program (LIAP) lowers electric bills for qualifying customers. Under the statute, a qualifying household is eligible for a MaineHousing program or a means-tested program run by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and has income no higher than 150 percent of the federal poverty level. At Versant Power, approved customers get a 12 month discount, and households in a DHHS program receive a yearly letter they can return to enroll automatically. LIAP customers who use an oxygen pump or ventilator at least eight hours a day, certified by a physician, may also receive a monthly credit. Recertify every year so the discount does not lapse.

Arrearage Management Program credits

Maine law requires each investor-owned electric delivery utility, such as Central Maine Power and Versant Power, to run an Arrearage Management Program (AMP) for eligible low-income customers who are behind. At Versant, approved customers can have up to 100 percent of their past due amount forgiven, up to $6,000. Each month you pay your bill in full by the due date, a credit equal to one twelfth of the enrolled past due balance comes off, capped at $500 a month. Miss a payment and the credit stops until you make it up with late fees. Miss more than two in the 12 month period and you are removed and barred for six years. AMP customers can choose a Special Payment Arrangement under Chapter 815 that lowers winter payments and raises them in other months.

Privacy and appeals at the Maine PUC

If you cannot settle a dispute with the utility, ask for help from the PUC's Consumer Assistance and Safety Division. Maine law treats the division's records about a customer's payment history, credit, financial condition and medical condition as confidential rather than public, and its published decisions must protect customer identity. That matters when you explain a health problem or a job loss to show why you fell behind. Only people directly involved in investigating your case get access to the details that bear on it. Water and sewer bills may come from a town department or a local water district, so ask that office which shutoff and payment rules apply to you and whether the Commission's rules cover it.

Settlemont next to HEAP and AMP in Maine

Settlemont can sit beside HEAP, LIAP and AMP for a Maine household with one current utility bill it cannot cover. It is a for-profit bill payment technology company, and the bill owner never pays a review, speed or boost fee. The private form asks for first name, email, state, bill category, amount and due date, with no statement or account number. Next, you use a one-time access code to identify the utility privately, and staff verify the utility, you and the live balance. If approved, the public page shows only your first name, Maine, Utility and the verified amount. Supporters choose an amount, Settlemont confirms the balance and contacts them, and support goes straight to the utility. If you are enrolled in AMP, keep paying on time, because a missed payment stops your forgiveness credit.

Sources

• Maine Revised Statutes: Title 35-A, section 704, disconnection rules
• Maine Revised Statutes: Title 35-A, section 3214, low-income assistance and AMP
• MaineHousing: Home Energy Assistance Program
• Versant Power: Low Income Assistance Program
• Versant Power: Arrearage Management Program
• Versant Power: Terms and Conditions of Service

Facts checked November 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the agency or utility before relying on a protection.

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