With fuel bills expected to rise sharply this winter, states are setting aside extra money for the poor, dispensing energy-conservation tips and pleading for federal aid to help Americans keep the heat on when the weather turns cold.

Ohio freed up an additional $75 million for heating assistance for the needy, and Wisconsin added $16 million. Iowa officials set up a Web site to give people advice on how to save energy and get aid, but they acknowledged that may not be enough.

People “can only turn the thermostat so low before it affects your health and well-being,” said Jerry McKim, chief of Iowa’s Bureau of Energy Assistance, which helps poor families pay their utility bills. “This is a life-or-death matter.”

On Wednesday, the Energy Department predicted winter heating bills will be a third to a half higher than last year for most families across the country – an average of $350 more for natural gas users and $378 more for fuel oil users.

More than half of all U.S. households heat with natural gas.

This winter could see many more applicants for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program with not enough money to go around. Congress provided $2.2 billion for the program last year, but this year President Bush has proposed cutting it to about $2 billion.

Twenty-nine governors have asked Washington for $1.3 billion more for emergency energy assistance.

There has been no immediate action from Congress on the request.