The Biden administration announced Tuesday that $3.7 billion is being made available to help Americans pay their home energy bills.

The annual allocation is part of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, which assists in reducing the costs related to to heating and cooling, home energy equipment repairs, and minor energy-related home repairs.

The bulk of the funding comes from congressional appropriations; the $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is supplementing the program with an additional $100 million. 

“Home energy costs can be a big part of a family's budget,” White House infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu told reporters. “This funding is a lifeline for low-income communities, especially as winter approaches.”

LIHEAP is run by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Administration for Children and Families.

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said the Biden administration has made it a priority to lower costs for Americans. 

“We know that in this next several weeks — and in some places, perhaps it's already started — we're beginning to see how people need to figure out how to stay warm, especially our elderly and our disabled loved ones. And so we understand how important LIHEAP is to so many families.”

Last year, about 6 million families relied on LIHEAP to help cover their energy costs, Becerra said.

The Biden administration also announced Tuesday it has launched a tool to help households identify if they are eligible for LIHEAP benefits. The tool is available at EnergyHelp.us. 

This year’s LIHEAP allocation is less than the $4.5 billion released in 2022. Senior administration officials said last year’s total included emergency supplemental funding.