By Patricia Breakey
DELHI "" Escalating costs could lead to a dangerous winter, according to officials who gathered in Delhi on Monday to form the Delaware County Energy Coalition.
More than 55 people attended a heating crisis forum sponsored by the Delaware County Office for the Aging, county Department of Social Services and Delaware Opportunities. The forum was held at the Public Safety Building.
Tom Briggs, Office for the Aging director, said experts expect the average home-heating bill to increase by $2,000 this winter. He added that a commonly used source of funding, the Home Energy Assistance Program, won't cover the increase.
"We need to develop a sensible strategy to prevent widespread problems," Briggs said.
"We are in for some difficult times," added Bill Moon, social services commissioner. "The county's most vulnerable residents will be struggling for answers."
John Eberhard, Delaware Opportunities executive director, said there are "simply not enough heating resources available."
Concerns about people using dangerous portable heaters to heat their homes and the resulting fires that may occur were brought up by representatives of the Red Cross and fire departments.
Middletown Supervisor Len Utter, who is also a firefighter, said, "I am scared to death about this winter. Every time that pager goes off, we could be facing dangerous situations with heaters and carbon dioxide."
Education, thinking ahead and saving money on other necessities, including food, to cover the cost of fuel were some of the strategies recommended to help deal with the short-term problem of making it through the winter.
Long-term recommendations to deal with the ongoing fuel crisis include weatherization and alternate energy sources.
Assemblyman Peter Lopez, R-Schoharie, said the Legislature will be back in session today, but they are going to have to deal with "the colliding issues of energy costs and budget cuts.
"We need strength as a community to break out of this long-term crisis," Lopez said.
Moon said a brochure was put together by the county Energy Coalition to outline services provided by the three agencies, as well as eligibility requirements. The brochure was distributed at the Delaware County Fair and is available through the Department of Social Services.
The Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP, is a first line of defense, Briggs said.
"We served about 1,000 people with HEAP last year," he said. "That was about 50 percent of the senior population that was eligible, and we expect more participation this year."
HEAP is only one piece of the puzzle, he said, because the most anyone can qualify for is $585 a year, which isn't enough to purchase 150 gallons of fuel.
"The math doesn't work," Briggs said. "And I can't figure out how it is going to work."
Patrice Courtney Strong, of Mid-Hudson Energy Smart Communities, a New York governmental coalition, talked about programs, grants and loans available through the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.
"We have been thinking about and anticipating this crisis since 1979," Strong said. "Who has ever had a summer when you spent so much time thinking and worrying about winter?"
Deborah Eisenberg, of Delaware Opportunities, said she had been researching a home-sharing program used in Vermont to help residents pool resources and save on heating costs.
Colchester Supervisor Robert Homovich said Colchester residents who have suffered repeated flooding are well aware of the support system available in Delaware County.
"No matter what we are going to have to do to get through this, we will do it together," he said. "We have got some great people here working on a big problem."
Briggs said e-mail addresses were collected from those who attended, and the next step will be to distribute information. To be added to the Energy Coalition list, contact the Office for the Aging at 746-6333 or at www.co.delaware.ny.us/departments/ofa/ofa.htm.
