South Carolina Utility Relief Programs: Where to Get Help With Power and Gas Bills

South Carolina utility relief programs at a glance

There is no single state office that pays utility bills in South Carolina. Help comes from several places, and the right one depends on who your power or gas company is and how urgent your situation is. This table sorts the main options.

If you are behind on more than utilities, our South Carolina hardship program guide covers rent, food, and cash help across the state.

LIHEAP through community action agencies

The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program is paid for by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In South Carolina, the Office of Economic Opportunity sets the framework, and the money goes only to the state's network of community action agencies. The OEO says plainly that it does not have LIHEAP applications and does not accept them. You apply with the agency that serves your county.

A few points from the OEO's rules are worth knowing before you call:

• It is a grant, not a loan. Approved payments go directly to your utility company.
• It is not meant to pay a whole bill. The OEO says LIHEAP is not intended to cover a household's energy costs for the month, season, or year.
• Heating and cooling only. LIHEAP cannot pay water or sewer bills.
• Local agencies can be stricter. To stretch funds, a CAA may limit how often you get help, give less than the state maximum, or put energy emergencies first.
• Funding can run out. Being eligible does not promise a payment if the year's money is used up.

The OEO does not post a single statewide benefit amount on its LIHEAP page. Your award depends on your income, energy costs, what you need at the time you apply, any help you got before, and how much funding is left. For how LIHEAP works nationally, including the 48-hour crisis rule, see our main LIHEAP guide.

LIHEAP income limits

South Carolina uses 60% of the state median income (SMI) for LIHEAP. The OEO lists these limits based on gross income for all household members 18 and older. Check with your CAA, since the table updates each program year.

The one-person monthly figure on the OEO page is slightly lower than the yearly figure divided by 12. If your income falls right at the line, ask your agency which number it uses. Because the cutoff is based on state median income rather than the poverty line, many working families qualify even if they earn too much for SNAP.

Applying for LIHEAP step by step

1. Find your agency. Use the OEO's Find Help county list. Pick your county to see the community action agency, its offices, and phone numbers. You can also dial 211.
2. Ask how intake works. Some agencies book appointments, some take walk-ins on set days, and some open online or phone intake when funds arrive.
3. Gather what the OEO requires. At a minimum: proof of U.S. citizenship or qualified immigrant status for everyone in the home, a government-issued ID showing South Carolina residence, gross income for the last 30 days for all adults 18 and over, and a current energy bill in the name of an adult in the household.
4. Bring a shutoff notice if you have one. Agencies often put energy emergencies first.
5. Ask about other help. The same agency may run weatherization, EnergyShare for Dominion customers, and other emergency funds.

Your agency may ask for more papers. Our document checklist lists the common ones. If you are denied or treated unfairly, ask the agency for a fair hearing. If the agency denies your appeal, you can send a written appeal to the OEO's legal counsel.

Help from Dominion, Duke, and Santee Cooper

Dominion Energy South Carolina: EnergyShare

EnergyShare is Dominion's bill assistance program. In an October 12, 2026 news release, Dominion said it is expanding year-round EnergyShare help in South Carolina with a three-year, $3 million commitment. The money covers direct bill help, weatherization, and health and safety repairs for eligible residential electric customers. Dominion says the program has helped more than 7,000 South Carolina customers since 2020.

The funds are administered through the OEO and the community action agencies that serve Dominion customers, so you apply at the same agency as LIHEAP. Ask about both at once. Dominion's web pages have listed different award amounts and income rules over time, so get the current terms from the agency.

Duke Energy: Share the Light Fund

Duke Energy Carolinas serves much of the Upstate. Its Share the Light Fund is paid for by customer, employee, and shareholder donations and handed out through local partner agencies. Duke has described it as help for residential customers with a past-due bill, an unpaid deposit, or a reconnection charge, based on need. Duke has said The Salvation Army administers the fund. Call Duke's customer service or 211 to find the partner agency for your county. Duke Energy Progress customers in the Pee Dee should ask the same question.

Santee Cooper: Community Cares and payment plans

The state-owned utility lists its options on its payment assistance page:

• Community Cares, a fund where neighbors help neighbors pay power bills, run with the United Way of Horry County, Black River United Way, and Trident United Way. Request help through SC211 or by dialing 211. Help depends on available funds.
• Payment arrangements for more time to pay. Call 800-804-7424 or email customercare@santeecooper.com.
• LIHEAP referrals: Palmetto Community Action Partnership for Berkeley County, and Waccamaw Economic Opportunity Council for Georgetown and Horry counties.

Electric cooperatives and city utilities

Many rural South Carolinians get power from a member-owned electric cooperative. Co-ops set their own payment and assistance policies, and some run round-up or member funds that help neighbors in hardship. Use the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina map to find your co-op, then call member services and ask three questions: Is there a hardship or round-up fund? Can I get a payment arrangement? Do you accept LIHEAP payments from my community action agency? (Almost all do.)

City-owned utilities, such as many municipal power and water departments, also set their own rules. Ask about payment plans and any local hardship fund. For water bills, which LIHEAP cannot pay, ask your city utility and dial 211.

Shutoff rules and medical certificates

The S.C. Public Service Commission sets termination rules for the electric and gas utilities it regulates. They appear in Chapter 103 of the state regulations: Regulation 103-352 for electric service and 103-452 for gas. Key protections include:

• Written notice. An electric utility must mail a termination notice at least 10 days before cutting service. It must also try to reach you by phone or in person no more than two business days before, or mail a second notice.
• Medical certificate, December through March. Service will not be cut if a household member gives the utility a certificate, on the utility's form and signed by a licensed physician, saying a shutoff would be especially dangerous to that person's health. It must be given at least 3 days before the shutoff or to the crew at the door. You must also sign it and state you cannot pay. Each certificate lasts until the 31st day after the physician signs, and it can be renewed up to three times for 30 days each.
• Deferred payment plan. If you cannot pay in full, an electric utility must offer a plan where you keep your account current and pay at least one-sixth of the past-due balance each month, for up to six months. It cannot cut service without telling you this plan exists.
• Timing limits. Electric shutoffs are allowed only Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and not on the day before the utility's offices are closed, unless it can take payment and reconnect.
• Special needs accounts. Notices must explain that service to a qualifying special needs customer can only be ended under a separate state law (S.C. Code 58-27-2510 and following). Ask your utility how to register.
• Complaints. Notices must include the toll-free number for the S.C. Office of Regulatory Staff, which investigates unresolved disputes.

The medical certificate delays a shutoff. It does not erase what you owe, so use the time to apply for LIHEAP and set up a plan. Cooperatives and city utilities may follow different rules, so ask them directly. For more ways to keep the gas on, see how to stop a gas disconnection.

Weatherization to lower future bills

The OEO's Weatherization Assistance Program makes homes more energy efficient so bills stay lower over time. Work can include air sealing, insulation, and heating or cooling system fixes, based on an energy audit of the home. Preference goes to people 60 and older, households with a member who has a disability, and households with children under 18. People receiving Supplemental Security Income are income eligible.

The OEO posts weatherization income limits that differ from LIHEAP's. For example, it lists $31,920 a year for one person and $66,000 for a family of four. Not every community action agency runs weatherization in every county, so the OEO's county list names the agency that does. Waiting lists are common, so apply early and ask where you are on the list when you call back.

Phone discounts and other help

• Lifeline. This federal program takes up to $9.25 a month off one phone or internet service for households that qualify through income or programs like SNAP, Medicaid, or SSI. See the FCC Lifeline page.
• SC211. Dial 211 or visit sc211.org for churches, charities, and local funds that help with power, gas, water, and propane bills.
• Charities. The Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and local churches sometimes pay part of a bill when they have funds. Bring your shutoff notice.
• Budget billing. Most utilities can spread your yearly costs into equal monthly payments, which softens summer and winter spikes.

Related guides

• Emergency help with utility bills
• South Carolina rent relief program
• South Carolina debt relief programs
• South Carolina mortgage relief program

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information. Program funds, amounts, and rules are set by each agency and utility and can change. National Relief Program is an independent website and is not affiliated with any utility, community action agency, or government agency.