Nov. 23, 2004: Winter Heating Bills Expected To Rise Even Higher
WASHINGTON - Because of higher oil prices, the latest projections for this winter's household heating costs indicate greater increases for heating oil and propane users, according to the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The EIA says that households using heating oil are now expected to see heating bills rise about 37 percent above last winter, compared to the previous projection of a 28-percent increase. Propane-heated households can expect to see increased expenditures of about 26 percent this winter, compared with a 22-percent increase projected last month. Expected increases in expenditures for natural gas-heated households remain the same as last month at about 15 percent.