In New Hampshire, if it’s not already winter, then it’s always just a few months away.

But right now, thankfully, it’s not cold outside. In fact, this week in the Granite State, temperatures are expected peak in the 90s. It’s certainly a change from this past winter when we saw a record 118 inches of snow in the Concord area. Believe it or not, it will get so hot and humid this week that I’m thankful I had a weak moment a few weeks ago and bought a window-unit air conditioner.

But, living in New England, I know it will be a short season before the thermostat starts to dip again. Meanwhile, while I’m paying pennies for my natural gas bill this summer, I’m having nightmares about what I’ll owe in December…or January…or, even worse, February.

And I’m not alone. Residents all across New Hampshire are actually putting money away in anticipation of their $500, $600 or $700 fuel bills next winter. Forget about saving for a new pair of skis or planning a fun family trip – let’s plan on staying warm!

Luckily there are ways to help lighten the load for some households. The Community Action Program of New Hampshire helps financially-strapped families pay their energy and heating bills during the winter months. Last season, 6,000 households in the Merrimack and Belknap counties alone took advantage of the program.  Pierce Center law student Darcey Jacobs was one of them.

“My roomate and I decided to apply for heat assistance after receiving two consecutive heat bills for over $400,” Jacobs said.  “Renting an apartment in an older house was partially to blame for our high heat bills, but the increasing price of gas also contributed to the problem.”

Judy Scothorne, the community services director for the Belknap and Merrimack counties Community Action Program, said in her region alone last year, 6,000 families received a portion of $4 million to assist with their fuel costs. Statewide, $25 million was appropriated for the same reason.

Any household making under $39,224 annually (for a typical family of four or 185 percent of the federal poverty level) qualifies for help. All you have to do is apply for it.

Scothorne explained these are federal funds. “At this point, we don’t know how much money we will get (for this coming winter),” she said. “Congress hasn’t decided that yet.”

Well, for all of our benefit, I hope Congress is feeling generous this year.

Outside of the immediate help that local fuel assistance programs like the one in New Hampshire can provide, I can’t help but hope that a change in administration might bring some much-needed relief, too.

It gives me a little comfort knowing that both Barack Obama and John McCain are strategizing ways to solve this fuel crisis.

On his Web site, Obama proposes to offer families a $300 tax rebate check that would offset the costs of rising fuel prices. McCain suggests plugging into untapped offshore oil wells to decrease the country’s dependence on foreign fuel suppliers, eventually lowering the price we pay for oil.

Each candidate has a unique way of solving the problem. It will be up to us to decide which camp to support.

In the meantime, I’m going to soak up all the sun I can and brace myself for the shocking winter weather – and heating bills.