Fort Worth Benefits

Utility Help in Fort Worth: CEAP Help With Electric, Gas, and Propane Bills

Utility Help in Fort Worth: CEAP Help With Electric, Gas, and Propane Bills

Fort Worth Benefits guide — facts checked against the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and the City of Fort Worth, October 2026.

A shutoff notice turns a bill into an emergency. In Tarrant County, the program built for exactly that moment is CEAP — and in Fort Worth, one city office runs it. This guide explains what CEAP pays for, who may qualify, and exactly how to apply through Community Action Partners.

What CEAP is

CEAP — the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program — is Texas’s energy assistance program, funded through the federal LIHEAP program and overseen by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA). It’s run locally by community action agencies, and in Fort Worth that agency is the City of Fort Worth’s Community Action Partners (CAP).

CEAP can help with:

  • Payments toward your electric, gas, and propane bills — the core of the program.
  • Crisis help if you face disconnection — if you have a shutoff notice, say so when you apply; crisis cases are handled faster.
  • Repair or replacement of heating and cooling systems — in a Texas summer, a dead air conditioner is a health emergency, and CEAP treats it that way.

Priority goes to households with elderly members, people with disabilities, or young children — but priority is not a requirement. If your income is low and your energy bills are a burden, apply.

Who may qualify

CEAP is for low-income households, and help depends on current funding — it’s not an entitlement, which is one more reason to apply early rather than after the money tightens. In Tarrant County, applications go through CAP, and the same office can also help with rent and mortgage when funding is available, plus other supports — so one application conversation can cover more than the light bill.

You may qualify if:

  • Your household income is low for your household size.
  • You’re facing a disconnection notice or an energy emergency (crisis help).
  • Your heating or cooling system has failed and you can’t afford the repair.

How to apply — step by step

  1. Start with CAP. Go to the official page: fortworthtexas.gov/departments/neighborhoods/cap for current application dates and the online application. Applications are taken online on scheduled dates or at in-person application events — the office does not take walk-in applications. You can also call CAP at 817-392-2276.
  2. Gather your documents first: your current utility bill, proof of income for the past 30 days, a photo ID, and proof of address. Having all four ready is the difference between a fast decision and a stalled file.
  3. Lead with the crisis. If you have a shutoff or disconnect notice, say so in the first sentence when you apply or call. Crisis cases are handled faster, by design.
  4. Ask about the rest of the toolbox. While you’re there, ask CAP about rent and mortgage help and about any additional aid available through your utility company — the staff work with those programs every day and can tell you what currently has funding.

While the application moves

  • Call your utility company anyway. Tell them you’ve applied for CEAP and ask about a payment plan or a hold on disconnection while the application is processed. Companies handle assisted customers differently — but only if they know.
  • Don’t skip months quietly. If the bill will be late again next month, that’s information for your CAP conversation, not a reason to avoid it. CEAP is designed to help households control energy costs over time, not just survive one bill.
  • If the notice date arrives and nothing has landed, call 2-1-1 — free, 24/7 — and ask for other utility assistance in Tarrant County. Smaller church and neighborhood funds exist, and 2-1-1 tracks which ones currently have money.

Common questions

I rent. Can CEAP help me? Yes — what matters is that the utility bill is your responsibility, not whether you own the home. Bring your bill and your lease details.

I need help with rent too. Separate applications? Start with one CAP conversation — CAP handles both utility help through CEAP and rent/mortgage help when funding is available. Our housing guide covers the rest of the housing doors.

The AC died and it’s 100 degrees. Is that really covered? Heating and cooling repair or replacement is a named part of CEAP — mention the failed system when you apply, and mention any elderly person, disability, or young child in the home, since those households get priority.

Your next step: See what you qualify for — pick “Utility bills” as your top need and this help comes first. Or get everything in one personal guide with Apply for Me.

Fort Worth Benefits is a free community guide, not a government agency. CEAP funding is limited and decisions are made by the administering agency — confirm current application dates on the official CAP page.