As the weather turns colder, people are beginning to turn on their furnaces to warm up their homes. For low-income families or those living on fixed incomes, affording the high cost of fuel can be challenging. Many people turn to HEAP to help them pay their winter heating bills.

However, federal funding for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) is expected to be cut this year almost in half: from $534.4 million in 2010-2011, to $250 million for 2011-2012. As a result, several changes are expected to the HEAP program this year.

The period during which regular and emergency HEAP payments will be available this season is scheduled to be two months shorter than last year, and the amount of assistance will be much less. HEAP will not open this year until Nov. 16, and the emergency component of the program will not be open until Jan. 3, 2012. The state has scheduled a HEAP closing date of March 16, 2012 for regular and emergency benefits.

This coming heating season, eligible applicants may receive one regular benefit, one emergency fuel benefit and one emergency electric benefit. If you need an application for HEAP, contact your local Social Services or Office for the Aging: Jefferson County Social Services, 782-903, Jefferson County Office for the Aging, 785-3191; Lewis County Social Services, 376-5400, Lewis County Office for the Aging, 376-5313; Oswego County Social Services, 963-5288, Oswego County Office for the Aging, 349-3484; St. Lawrence County Social Services, 379-2303.

With these changes to the HEAP program, unfortunately, people may find themselves cutting back on their heat. If you know an elderly or disabled person in your neighborhood, check on him or her every now and then. No one should be living in the cold.

Secondly, people may turn to alternative sources of heat for their homes, such as kerosene or electric heaters, or wood stoves and fireplaces. If you’re planning on using any of these sources of heat, I urge you to take certain precautions to keep you and your family safe. Some safety tips for alternative heat sources include:

• Never fill a kerosene heater while it is operating or hot, and avoid overfilling. Refueling should be done outside, and keep loose clothing, towels, curtains, etc. away from the heater. Never use a kerosene heater in a room without proper ventilation. Be sure the heater is in good working condition, and store kerosene outside of the house in approved metal containers.
• If you’re using a woodstove or fireplace, have the chimney inspected annually and cleared. The same goes for your furnace: have it inspected and cleaned annually by a professional.
• If you’re going to use an electric heater, be sure not to overload the circuit. Use only extension cords that are the same size or larger than the heater’s electrical cord.
• Finally, be sure every level of your home has a working smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, and be sure to check them regularly.

As always, if you have a state issue or concern you’d like to discuss, feel free to contact me at my district office, 315-493-3909, email me at blankenbushk@assembly.state.ny.us, or stop by my office, 15 Bridge St., Carthage.