WESTLAKE, Ohio — Cold weather may be the last thing we're worried about this winter. That's because the U.S. Government expects heating bills to jump as much as 54% compared to last winter.
So no matter which way you heat your home, whether it's natural gas, propane or heating oil, it's going to be more expensive.
"Basically it's supply and demand. Demand has gone up, especially for natural gas the summer and into the winter," Patrick De Haan, of GasBuddy.com said. "Part of that is because of Hurricane Ida. In August, it shut down nearly all of the oil production and natural gas production in the Gulf of Mexico."
Sean Nagle, general manager of Bay Heating and Air Conditioning, says there's a number of factors affecting business.
"We're in the midst of a major labor shortage for skilled labor. The other thing we're seeing is there's a shortage of equipment pieces, parts, the whole nine," Nagle said. "We're even seeing backups where parts that we would have the next day we might not have for two or three weeks. Once again, as things get short, then the cost goes up."
To keep the prices down when that cold hits, Nagle said there are things you can do:
- Schedule your thermostat if you plan to head out of town.
- If you're just gone for a few days, set it to 65 degrees
- Running your fan can help costs, too.
"Running your fan continuously helps you from feeling like you have to turn your heating up when it gets very cold, because it'll keep the house more tempered all the time. So even though it does cost a little more to run your fan all the time, it's cheaper than when we get a cold snap and turning it up to 75 or 76 and trying to heat your house all at once," Nagle said.
And, because the natural gas prices are high, that means you'll probably feel it at the pump, too. For some money-saving tips click HERE.
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