An additional $8 million to help fund a heating aid program in Maine is welcome news, but high oil prices mean the funding won’t stretch far, a spokesman for MaineHousing said Monday.

The funds for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program are part of an emergency funding package passed by Congress last week. In total, the package includes $1 billion in heating aid, $8 million of which is coming to Maine.

“We are very grateful for this help,” Scott Thistle, a spokesman for MaineHousing said. “We still remain very concerned about how the high price of heating fuels is going to create a hardship in Maine.”

A year ago, a gallon of heating oil cost $2.85, but today the statewide average is $4.40. At last year’s price, about 38,000 households got an average benefit of $758 or 265 gallons of oil, Thistle said.

This year, the same benefit amount will buy only 172 gallons.

Thistle said the agency is hopeful additional funds will be approved to support the program.

The state starting taking applications for the program five weeks early this year and demand is up, he said. And though most homes heat with oil, the program will help pay for other fuels, such as propane, wood and electricity.

About 38,000 households received help through the program last year.