Households expected to pay more for energy costs this winter

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - Brace yourself for a surge in your home heating bills this winter. Inflation, along with falling temperatures could send the price of heating homes through the roof.

A new report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration expects that households will spend more on heating costs this winter compared to last year, due to soaring energy costs, along with predictions of a slightly colder winter.

The report predicts that this winter the average household will spend 10% more on electricity, 27% more on heating oil, and 28% more on natural gas.

Energy Consultant Eric Bensalah with the Omaha Public Power District says, despite the dim forecast, people can make their energy costs go down, and it starts with changing their own behavior.

Bensalah said, “One of the biggest things when it comes to the wintertime is trying to stay away from things that get cold.”

Bensalah suggests staying away from exterior walls. Move your furniture if needed. If that’s not possible, wear sweaters or use blankets.

Bensalah says newer, inexpensive gadgets can also come in handy. “Now you can actually buy just a simple thermometer gun that can tell you the difference in temperature of certain surfaces,” he said.

Still, Bensalah says the tried and true money-saving methods are still the most effective: Use LED lightbulbs, program your thermostat to be energy efficient, replace old insulation, and update the sealant on doors and windows. “If that’s not really an option you can always do the plastic covering on the windows,” he said.

Jeremy Long of Dundee says his family tries a little of everything. He said, “We’re trying to be energy efficient with our appliances and we have a geothermal system to be as efficient as we can.”

OPPD offers incentives for making your home more energy efficient.

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