(Radio Iowa) – You may be eligible for some help with your heating bill. The federally funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program or LIHEAP, partners with local agencies that will cut a check to utilities like MidAmerican Energy to lower the financial strain that comes with higher winter heating bills. Hawkeye Area Community Action Program spokesman, Chris Ackman, says applications have increased with the cold weather. The LIHEAP program doesn’t pay the entire heating bill, but it does free up some money in a household budget. Household income must be at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines for you to quality. For a household of three, their annual gross income must be 49-thousand dollars or less.