US households heated with natural gas face 30pc increase in winter bills: Energy Dept

Washington [US], October 14 (ANI/Sputnik): Americans that rely on natural gas for home heating can expect to pay nearly one-third more this winter, with steeper increases for those using oil and propane, the Energy Information Administration said in a report.
"We expect that the nearly half of US households that heat primarily with natural gas will spend 30% more than they spent last winter on average - 50% more if the winter is 10% colder-than-average and 22% more if the winter is 10% warmer-than-average," the report said on Wednesday.
The 5 percent of households that rely on propane will most likely spend 54 percent more and the 4 percent using heating oil can expect bills to increase 43 percent, the report said.
However, households heated with electricity will most likely avoid steep increases in other energy prices, with winter bills increasing just 6 percent, the report added.
The report bases its predictions on the most recent long-tern weather forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which projects a slightly cooler heating season than last year, but more in line with averages over the previous ten years.
The winter heating season runs from October through March. (ANI/Sputnik)