Related video above: How to winterize your home before it snows
(NEXSTAR) – While shoppers fret about the soaring price of beef and other grocery store items, a new forecast warns that home heating costs for some Americans will rise this winter.
On average, it will cost 7.6% more to heat one’s home once the temperature drops, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA), but the increase varies by fuel type.
The steepest projected spike is for electricity (10.2%), pushing the average winter heating cost in 2024-2025 of $1,093 to $1,205 for 2025-2026.
The cost forecast also varies by region, with electricity prices expected to rise 18% in the West, 21.4% in the South and 19.7% in the Midwest. The increase was tamer in other regions, like the Northeast (7.2%).
“These increases might not sound dramatic in dollar terms to well-off families, but to families on the edge of poverty they can be devastating,” the NEADA said in a news release. “Low income families are already struggling to pay existing high prices, these additional increases will force low income families to have to choose between pay their heating bill and food, medicine and other essentials.”
The cost of electricity has been a stubborn issue for the Trump administration, as a recent Consumer Price Index report determined that the price was rising at double the rate of inflation.
“In the last couple of years, different items that have gone up in price have become media concerns. They become very visible, people get very angry — and I think electric rates are heading in that direction,” Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, told The Hill in early September.
The NEADA says the cost of electricity is spurred by the “continued high cost of maintaining and upgrading the grid, rising natural gas prices – a primary feeder fuel for generating electricity, and increasing demand from data centers.”
The cost to heat one’s home with natural gas is also expected to go up this winter, jumping from an average of $639 to $693, due to a rise in wholesale gas prices and strong demand.
Meantime, other Americans who use heating oil or propane to warm their houses will actually save money this winter, NEADA projects, with the average cost set to fall 4% and 5%, respectively.
How to save money on heating costs
When it comes to lowering heating costs, there are several ways of reducing the bill.
Wolfe recommends getting your heating and cooling system tuned up before companies get busy, and use caulk or another sealant to close off any air leak in the house.
The Department of Energy recommends a “whole-house system” that treats the home as an interdependent system – insulation, air sealing, efficient appliances and other elements can reduce costs and increase comfort. Local utilities or government programs may also offer subsidies to help residents pay for the increased efficiency.
To save money without installing new appliances, the Department of Energy says consumers’ bills will go down 10% by lowering the thermostat 7 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 hours a day.
The post Heating costs to spike this winter – especially for some Americans: study appeared first on WHNT.
