JAY - Legislative concern that people will have a hard time finding the resources to keep their homes heated this winter prompted an energy conservation workshop Wednesday at Jay High School.

"We may not solve it tonight but we can discuss what the community can do," said Sen. Bruce Bryant, D-Dixfield, who along with Rep. Ray Pineau, D-Jay, hosted the gathering, one of several being held around the state.

A panel of representatives from the Maine State Housing Authority, Western Maine Community Action, Efficiency Maine, the United Way, the town's general assistance program and others described the types of services available to help people weather this winter.

"The situation is pretty grim," said Irv Faunce from Western Maine Community Action as he discussed an increase of 500 applications that CAP has already processed this year for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Before even starting the application process at their East Wilton office, these were taken in towns such as Rangeley, Stratton and Eustis, he added.

With the addition of state money, the average benefit for LiHeap recipients is expected to be $515, up from the previously anticipated $415, said Jo-Ann Choate of MSHA, which also administers LiHeap funds. Last year, statewide the program served 51,000 households; 137,000 households in Maine are income eligible for the benefit, she added.

While budget amounts in Washington have not been settled, local agencies can only assume they will receive a minimum of $25 million in allotments for LiHeap, she said. That figure will affect the aid amount and the number of households that can benefit from the program.

General assistance programs are available to every citizen, Jay Town Manager Ruth Marden told the group. A program administered by the town under the guidance of the Department of Human Services, emergency help is also available, she said.

Applicants do have a certain amount of accountability for their spending.

"We're here for you but we do expect you to help yourself," she added.

Warming shelters, winterization kits and alternate energy are solutions being considered by a group of 25 people, an Energy Resource Team, started in Franklin County, said Lisa Laflin, executive director of the Tri-Valley United Way.

But some panelists had more than resources to share Wednesday. Simple measures as easy as flipping a light switch when you leave a room to using cold water to rinse a cup and using compact fluorescent light bulbs for energy savings were mentioned by Dick Bacon of Efficiency Maine, an organization dedicated to saving electrical energy. More tips are available on its Web site, www.efficiencymaine.com, he said.

A lack of heat in some homes this winter is one concern but another is fires created from auxiliary methods used to heat homes.

Space heaters are the cause of a high percentage of fires resulting in deaths, fire Chief Scott Shink said. Shink offered several tips that can also be found on the www.jayfirerescue.com Web site, he said.

Concern was also raised by community member Paul Gilbert about people not reaching out for help because of the stigma of it.

Western Maine Community Action is receiving about 100 calls a day for the LiHeap program, Faunce said, and the program is confidential and nonjudgmental.

"We're all in this together," he said.