Cold nights lie ahead and the temperatures have some local families watching their thermostats closely.

6 News had learned some people who need federal assistance money to stay warm have yet to get their money.

Most people probably haven’t thought about it yet with the warmer than normal winter weather, but after the recent cold snap, it’s becoming a concern.

The furnace has probably kicked in a few times this season, but with the cold of winter settling in in the last few days, people participating in Low Income Home Energy Assistance (LIHEAP) are seeing some delays.

"There has been a backlog created by a large amount of applications coming in at the same time frame. We also have applications that are pending just because we need additional verification," spokesperson with the Department of Public Welfare, Carey Miller said.

We weren’t able to get anyone in person because the Department of Public Welfare is stationed in Harrisburg, but Miller said the late arrival of winter weather can be partially to blame.

"People start thinking, I need to put my heat on, I don't have the money to do it, I need to apply for cash assistance or crisis help," Miller said.

Fayette County processes the applications for a number of counties including Somerset and Indiana, but now, they’re working on getting through the paperwork to mail the grants.

"We have hired extra energy assistance workers to help process those applications, so that we do see that those applications will be decreasing dramatically," Miller said.

To avoid a possible delay in 2012, Miller said it’s important to apply November 1^st when applications are first released to avoid any back up. However, don’t let this delay leave you in the cold.

"We just really encourage those even if there might be a current backlog now, still continue to apply. We don't want anybody to go without heat," Miller said.

The Department of Public Welfare also has a program that offers immediate assistance. Crisis help is directed for people who could see their heat turned off in the next 24 hours. The department said they do not want that to happen. There’s no timetable as to when those LIHEAP grants could be mailed out.