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Heating bills are expected to rise again this winter, especially for those who warm their homes with electricity. Their bills are expected to swell by 14.2% to an average of $1,189, up from $1,040 last winter, NEADA said last month. “Families who just finished paying for record-high electric bills because of the extreme summer temperatures are now facing higher winter bills as well,” NEADA Executive Director Mark Wolfe said. Under LIHEAP’s current funding levels, about 80% of the program’s aid goes toward winter heating costs and 20% toward summer cooling, Wolfe estimated. Experts say there are a few ways consumers can hold down their heating costs.

Persons: that’s, NEADA, Mark Wolfe, “ They’re, Joe Biden, That’s, Wolfe, ”, haven’t, ’, ” Wolfe, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Karoline Leavitt Organizations: National Energy Assistance, Association, Income, Energy Assistance, Trump, Republican, NEADA, Bills, The Energy Department, Agency Locations: Midwest, People, America, South, West

☆ Despite inflation, some everyday products actually dropped in price this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-31 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

Here’s a snapshot of some of the major categories that have seen price declines this year, according to Consumer Price Index data though November. “Even during the pandemic, when inflation was rampant across the economy, most consumer tech products’ prices remained below core inflation,” Kowalski said. Goods prices, on the other hand, continued to tumble from their pandemic highs. So, in terms of 2025: Overall food prices are expected to continue to see disinflation, according to projections from the US Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service. Plus, they note that volatility in food prices could heighten as weather events grow more extreme and geopolitical troubles worsen.

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She, like 2,000 other state residents, is awaiting approval for aid through a community advocacy program. Resumed funding for LIHEAP is dependent on an appropriations bill used to fund the government. “We had calls during our latest heat wave, and our agencies just don’t have the LIHEAP funding,” Sarensen said. Unlike those so-called entitlements, LIHEAP funding can be depleted without helping everyone who qualifies. Neither Vice President Kamala Harris nor former President Donald Trump has mentioned direct utility or weatherization aid in their campaigns for the White House.

Persons: Cathy McCorkle, she’s, ”, “, won’t, Mark Wolfe, “ There’s, Wolfe, LIHEAP, Bridget Bennett, Brian Sarensen, Sarensen, ” Sarensen, That’s, “ It’s, Stephanie Ashley, We’ve, Ashley, “ We’ve, We’re, we’re, ” “, Kamala Harris, Donald Trump, Karen Lusson Organizations: U.S, Low Income, Energy Assistance, National Energy Assistance, Association, Center for Energy, Opera, Washington, Getty Images, Commerce Department, Law, SNAP, Washington , D.C, House Republicans, White, U.S . Treasury Department, National Consumer Law Locations: Mount Holly , North Carolina, San Diego, Death Valley, Calif, Washington, Phoenix, Oregon, North Carolina, Washington ,

☆ Opinion: America needs a paradigm shift in how we respond to extreme heat
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-18 | by ( Opinion Mark Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Editor’s Note: Mark Wolfe is an energy economist and serves as the executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, representing the state directors of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and co-director of the Center on Climate, Energy and Poverty. Triple-digit temperatures have hit the western states, with the Northeast, Midwest and Great Lakes regions expected to see extreme heat waves this week. Weather-related deaths from extreme heat are more common than from those from hurricanes, floods, extreme cold and other natural disasters. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 1,220 people die from extreme heat every year. During periods of extreme heat, cooling is not just a luxury that provides comfort, but a necessary measure that helps families across all income brackets, and especially low-income families, stay safe.

Persons: Mark Wolfe, That’s Organizations: National Energy Assistance, Association, Income, Energy Assistance Program, Energy, CNN, Triple, US Centers for Disease Control, Center for Energy, US Energy Information Administration, Low Income, Energy Assistance, Twitter, Facebook, Federal Locations: United States, Midwest, Great, Washington, Connecticut

☆ We can’t air-condition our way out of America’s heat crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Nathaniel Meyersohn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —Extreme heat in the summer has become America’s brutal new reality. It would also include building code changes that require multi-family homes provide cooling the same way they do heating. Heat waves and mirage create an impressionistic scene on Sierra Highway during a scorching day on Saturday, July 15, 2023. Cities are warmer than their surrounding areas, a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect, and they need to be better designed to keep people cool, researchers say. They were designed 40 years ago when summer temperatures were much cooler,” Mark Wolfe said.

Persons: haven’t, ”, Mark Wolfe, hasn’t, ” Wolfe, Myung J, Chun, Rushad Nanavatty, National Weather Service hasn’t, Kelly Turner, “, Turner Organizations: New, New York CNN, National Energy Assistance, ’ Association, Southland, Los Angeles Times, RMI, Cool Coalition, United, US Department of Energy, Centers for Disease Control, Low Income, Energy Assistance, nonpayment, LIHEAP, CDC, National Weather Service, Solutions, UCLA, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, United Nations, Washington, DC, Arizona, Maricopa, Yuma, York City, Miami, Dade County

☆ Heating bills are getting expensive for Americans as winter storm lands a punch
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Matt Egan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Even before this historic winter storm emerged, experts warned home heating costs would jump this winter to the highest level in more than a decade. The cost to heat homes is expected to be 35.7% higher this winter than the 2020-2021 winter, the report said. More than 100 million people across the United States are under winter weather and wind chill alerts. But the heating bills will only get more expensive if the winter proves to be colder than expected. New England is especially vulnerable to severe winter weather, in large part because of constraints on pipelines sending natural gas into the region.

☆ Home heating costs are on the rise but government assistance is running short
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Shannon-Pettypiece-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Shannon Pettypiece | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +9 min

But temperatures are already dropping and the number of households seeking assistance is already on the rise, according to interviews with more than a half dozen officials involved in programs that provide heating assistance. Kelly said the Salvation Army in Massachusetts has received twice as many applications as it did this time last year for its winter heating assistance program, which is aimed at those whose incomes are too high to qualify for federal assistance. The cost of heating oil has been a particular concern for the Biden administration, said the government official. Heating oil and diesel inventories are at their lowest levels on record for this time of year. The administration is also prepared to tap into the Northeast Home Heating Oil Reserve, which has about 1 million barrels of heating oil, if necessary, the administration officials said.

☆ ‘It’s like living in an igloo.’ People are turning off their heat as prices surge
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Gabe Cohen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

She, too, is struggling to afford her heating bills. Johnson says she doesn’t qualify for government assistance with her heating bills. He wants his heating oil to last as long as possible and filling his tank costs roughly $1,500. But it was only enough to fill roughly one third of their oil tank, which Thomas thinks will last just two to three weeks. So they’re using space heaters and electric blankets to stay warm, hoping to save their heating oil for when their kids come home for Thanksgiving.

☆ U.S. households await winter with dread due to high energy costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Across the U.S., families are looking to the winter with dread as energy costs soar and fuel supplies tighten. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association says energy costs will be the highest in more than a decade this winter. The pain will be especially acute in New England, which is heavily reliant on heating oil to keep homes warm. It’s projected to cost more than $2,300 to heat a typical home with heating oil this winter, the energy department said. But that level represents an overall reduction from last year, when federal pandemic relief pushed the total energy assistance package past $8 billion.

That spike in demand pushed prices higher, and was exacerbated by the retirement of coal-fired and nuclear plants, in favor of electric generators. Meanwhile, natural gas production has been slow to come back online after waves of shutdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. Today, the price of natural gas is at levels not seen in more than a decade. The company said the increases are directly related to higher natural gas prices. "For many struggling families, higher prices can mean being forced to choose between heat, food or medication," the association said.

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