brace yourselves - Heating costs to jump 15 percent this winter

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081007/us_nm/us_eia_winter_fuel;_ylt=AqD2VGmDZgD5Fd6hIXO3RI.s0NUE


Heating costs to jump 15 percent this winter: government


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Heating oil and natural gas customers face the steepest price jumps, although double-digit percentage increases also are in store for users of propane and electricity, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its latest winter forecast.

The cost to heat a U.S. home this winter will average $1,137, up $151 from last year, the EIA said. Heating oil bills for the October-through-March heating season will be up $449, or 23 percent, at $2,388. The retail price for heating oil should average $3.89 a gallon, up from $3.31 last winter.

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There also will be more government money this winter to help the needy pay utility bills. Congress doubled funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP, to $5.1 billion to help poor families and senior citizens cover their heating costs.

As a result, the number of families that can get assistance under the federal program will rise from 5.8 million to 7.8 million. The level of heating costs that will be covered should average 50 percent this winter, up from 36 percent last year.
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