With energy prices soaring, the state wants to help New Yorkers with their home heating bills.

A coalition of New York State agencies said yesterday it would offer financial assistance on energy costs to lowand moderate-income families and launch a $1 million advertising campaign to promote ways to save on winter energy expenses.

The announcement comes amid alarm about projected costs for natural gas and home heating oil, which have jumped by as much as 50% over last year.

“When people get their first home heating bill, when they get their first natural gas bill, they’re going to say, ‘What’s happening?'” the president of the New York State Energy and Research Development Authority, Peter Smith, said. “We don’t want people to be shut off.”

The state is offering aid through Energy Smart, a $150 million annual program that provides incentives, loans, and tax credits to offset heating and other energy costs.

As part of their winter energy campaign, the agencies, including NYSERDA and the state Consumer Protection Board, are promoting Governor Pataki’s energy plan. The proposal includes additional tax credits for elderly and low-income residents, incentives for using energy-efficient appliances, and a request for more federal funding.

The statewide average price for home heating oil was $2.72 a gallon on October 10, an increase of 37% over last year, according to NYSERDA. In the city, the price was $2.81 a gallon, a 31% spike. The city average reached $2.87 a gallon in early September, which was 50% higher than last year.

“Because this is a critical point right now, with all of the natural disasters and what was forecast, we wanted to be proactive,” the chairwoman of the state Consumer Protection Board, Teresa Santiago, said.

Mr. Smith said the first warning that prices could be higher this winter came during the summer, when heating oil prices typically drop. This year, they did not. The early indicators did not take into account hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the late-summer storms that caused energy prices to rise further.

The state officials said they anticipated many more families would need assistance this year, but said the Energy Smart program, which expires next June, would be up to the task.

“We will make funds available until we have no more funds left,” Mr. Smith said. Ms. Santiago said the governor would make another $25 million available if needed.

New Yorkers will also see $1 million worth of ads on city buses, subways, television, and radio that will urge residents to prepare for winter early by insulating their homes, checking heating appliances, using fluorescent instead of incandescent light bulbs, and buying products that could reduce energy, such as programmable thermostats.