Gov. Maura Healey declared a State of Energy Emergency on Monday, October 5, 2026, and signed an executive order she says will deliver nearly $150 million in winter relief. The headline item is new: for the first time, middle-income households that heat with oil can get a one-time state heating benefit of up to $680. The order also raises existing heating assistance, takes a solar charge off electric bills for three months, and switches on the state’s price gouging rules.
Here is who qualifies for what, when the money starts, and what the “emergency” part actually does under Massachusetts law.
The new middle-income heating oil benefit
According to the governor’s announcement, as published by NBC10 Boston:
- Who: households that heat with oil and earn between 60 percent and 100 percent of State Median Income. For a family of four, that is more than $103,049 and up to $171,749 a year.
- How much: up to $680 per household, one time.
- How many: about 50,000 households are expected to qualify.
- When: beginning in December 2026, through April 30, 2027, or until the money runs out.
- Where to apply: the same local agencies that run the existing heating assistance program. The state’s page is mass.gov/heatinghelp.
Two limits matter. The benefit is for oil heat; the announcement does not extend it to households that heat with gas or electricity. And “until funding lasts” means first come, first served is a real risk. If you think you qualify, apply as soon as applications open.
More money for the existing program (HEAP)
The Home Energy Assistance Program, the federally funded program most people call fuel assistance or LIHEAP, served more than 156,000 Massachusetts households last winter, with benefits of roughly $525 to $1,200. Healey is adding $15 million in state money. Under the plan, households that heat with oil get a 20 percent increase and households that heat with utilities get a 15 percent increase.
The HEAP season runs November 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027. Renters whose heat is included in the rent can qualify, and you do not need to be on public assistance or behind on your bills. Our full guide to who qualifies for fuel assistance and how to apply covers the income limits and documents.
Healey also asked Congress for an additional $3 billion in federal LIHEAP funding, which would bring the national program to $7 billion. That request is not money yet.
What changes on your electric bill
- SMART charge removed for January through March 2027. The state will transfer $80 million to cover the charge that funds the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target incentive program, so it does not appear on residential and commercial bills for those three months.
- Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard cut in half this winter through emergency regulatory action, which the administration estimates at $20 million in relief through electricity supply rates.
Healey said the two changes together lower bills for about 85 percent of ratepayers. The administration has not published a per-household figure that we have seen; the savings will depend on usage and on whether you buy supply from your utility or a competitive supplier.
What the “emergency” does: price gouging rules
The governor’s office said declaring the emergency activates legal protections against price gouging. Those protections are in the Attorney General’s consumer protection regulations, at 940 CMR 3.18, and a violation is an unfair or deceptive practice under G.L. c. 93A.
Heating oil and other petroleum products. Under 940 CMR 3.18(1), it is unlawful “during any market emergency, for any petroleum-related business to sell or offer to sell any petroleum product for an amount that represents an unconscionably high price.” A “market emergency” is defined broadly, including an actual or threatened price increase resulting from an “act of war, national or local emergency or other extraordinary adverse circumstances.” WHDH reported the governor is activating price gouging protections for petroleum products specifically.
What counts as unconscionable. A price is unconscionably high if there is a “gross disparity” between it and either the seller’s own price just before the emergency began, or the price at which the same product is readily available from others in the area, and the gap is “not substantially attributable to increased prices charged by” the seller’s suppliers or to increased costs from the market disruption.
That last clause is the catch. Higher oil prices are not price gouging if the dealer is passing through higher wholesale costs. The rule targets margin, not price. A dealer whose wholesale cost rose 30 cents a gallon can raise its price 30 cents. A dealer who raises its price $1.50 on the same 30-cent cost increase is the case the regulation was written for.
Other goods. A separate subsection, 940 CMR 3.18(3), applies “during any declared statewide or national emergency” to any business selling “goods or services necessary for the health, safety or welfare of the public.” Whether Monday’s order is the kind of declaration that triggers that broader rule depends on its exact terms, which we have not yet read.
How to report it. Complaints about consumer pricing go to the Attorney General’s consumer advocacy hotline or online complaint form. Keep the receipt, the date, the price per gallon, and if you can, a competitor’s price from the same day.
The politics
The announcement comes four weeks before the November 3 election. Healey blamed the war in Iran and the Trump administration for higher prices, NBC10 reported, and energy costs have become a theme in her race against Republican Mike Minogue. Citizens Energy Corporation, led by Joe Kennedy III, is seeding a new Emergency Winter Warmth Fund with $100,000.
Frequently asked questions
Who qualifies for the new $680 heating oil benefit in Massachusetts?
Households that heat with oil and earn between 60 and 100 percent of State Median Income. For a family of four that is more than $103,049 and up to $171,749. Benefits start in December 2026 and run until April 30, 2027 or until funds run out.
Do I qualify if I heat with gas or electricity?
Not for the new middle-income benefit, which is limited to heating oil households. Lower-income households that heat with gas or electricity can still apply for regular HEAP fuel assistance, which is getting a 15 percent increase for utility-heated homes.
When can I apply for fuel assistance for winter 2026-2027?
The HEAP season runs November 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027. Apply online at mass.gov/heatinghelp or through your local agency.
Is it illegal to raise heating oil prices during the energy emergency?
Not by itself. Under 940 CMR 3.18 it is illegal to charge an unconscionably high price, meaning a gross disparity from pre-emergency or competitor prices that is not substantially explained by the seller’s own higher costs.
When does the SMART charge come off my electric bill?
For January through March 2027, according to the governor’s announcement.
Sources: Governor’s announcement as published by NBC10 Boston (with State House News Service), October 5, 2026; WHDH, October 5, 2026. 940 CMR 3.01 and 3.18 read at law.cornell.edu. We have not yet read the executive order itself. General information about Massachusetts law, not legal advice.