(Revised 10/1/17 ML #3512)
View Archives
The purpose of counting bedrooms is to estimate the size of the area to be heated which has exterior walls exposed to cold outside air. Since it is nearly impossible to completely 'close off' unused bedrooms and prevent heat loss into them, households will be allowed to count unused bedrooms.
The household will be allowed to count the number of rooms on the main and upper floors which were designed to be used as bedrooms. Bedrooms in a basement cannot be counted unless the entire living unit is contained within a basement, and/or the only bedrooms in the unit are in a basement. A household is not allowed to count as a bedroom any room which was structurally intended for another purpose. For example, if a member of the family sleeps in the living room, this could not be counted as a bedroom.
If a house is a split-level home where one or more walls of the lower level are fully exposed to the outside air, bedrooms on that floor can be counted. Similarly, "split foyer" or "raised ranch" style homes generally have 4-5 feet of the lower level above ground level and exposed to the outside air. Bedrooms on the lower level of these homes may be counted.
A household which rents out sleeping rooms on the main or upper floors of the house, may count only those bedrooms which are not rented, since the cost of heating the rented rooms should be covered by the rent received.
Do Not count any bedrooms used exclusively by any person not counted as a member of the household for LIHEAP eligibility purposes.
If a household reports more than five bedrooms, use the matrix column for five bedrooms to determine the Estimated Cost of Heat.
A single-detached house which has an apartment will be treated as a duplex, since the house contains two separate and complete living areas.
If you have a situation which does not fit any of the situations described, contact the State Office for an interpretation.
If the household reports varying numbers of bedrooms for the same house from one season to the next, or the reported number of bedrooms is otherwise questionable, you have the right to question the count and/or to verify that the number of bedrooms reported is accurate. It may be that the household did not report all the bedrooms in previous years because they were previously used for some other purpose. In that case, it would be legitimate to allow the additional bedrooms. When trying to make a fair decision, the guideline should be to count the number of rooms structurally intended for bedrooms.
