Are you turning on the heat yet?

It’s a touchy topic in some households as October settles into its annual indecision. Fourteen days in, the month has had highs in the 80s and lows in the 30s. It creates the seasonal wardrobe quandary. What is warm enough to wear at 6 a.m. that won’t leave you sweating by mid-afternoon?

Harder to handle, however, is the house temperature. While some people go strictly by the thermometer, others are governed by the calendar and say October is just too soon to turn on the furnace.

TribLive did a story on this phenomenon that might be considered a cute slice-of-life about thermostat wars. Everyone’s had someone — or been someone — who wouldn’t let you turn up the heat, right?

But its a deeper issue.

It’s a climate issue. This year is predicted to be colder than last year. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says while energy costs are down, the colder temperatures mean the cost of heating this year will stay about the same.

It’s a regional issue. The same government agency says the Northeast has consistently higher energy costs in the winter than elsewhere in America. While the cold temperatures here aren’t a surprise, it’s also cold in the Midwest and the Northwest, yet costs there aren’t as high.

It’s a state economic issue. Pennsylvania is an energy producer. Between natural gas, coal, electric and even wood, there are a lot of people making money keeping homes warm in the Keystone State.

But more than anything, it’s an issue of the individual economy of families. The U.S. Department of Energy puts heating costs at about 29% of a residential household’s utilities.

Many people look forward to October as that respite between summer cooling and winter heating. For others, especially those with lower incomes who might not have the higher air- conditioning bills of July and August, heating bills are something to delay as long as possible to conserve the seasonally high costs.

In Pennsylvania, more than 300,000 people depend on the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program to supplement those costs. LIHEAP is a specific grant tied to income. It isn’t a respecter of weather. If the cold comes too soon, it eats into what will be available come January or February.

It is also not available yet. The program doesn’t begin accepting applications until November.

On Wednesday, Southwestern Pennsylvania is expected to see highs around 50 degrees; Thursday’s low is predicted to be just 32. While many of us will hem and haw about whether to turn on the heat or put on a sweater, for many it’s a choice made by a lack of options.

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