November 10, 2017 – According to the Winter Fuels Outlook report, produced by the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in October 2017, energy costs for U.S. households are expected to rise by an estimated 10% for all types of heating fuels for the winter season of 2017.
All fuel types are expected to see a rise in costs, they are: natural gas by an average of $69, oil by $215, electricity by $74, and propane by $221. Predictions are based on weather predictions by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and fuel costs predicted by the EIA. Additional data on each fuel type can be found in the report here.
Another report, The U.S. EIA’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), shows that nearly one in three households (31%) in the U.S. faced challenges in paying their energy bills in 2015.
Additional data collected by the 2015 RECS shows: 11% percent of households reported that they kept their home at an unsafe or unhealthy temperature, 14% reported receiving a disconnection notice from their utility provider and 20% reported using money intended for food and medicine expenses to pay their energy bill. A graph with this data can be found on the EIA webpage here.
The report by EIA identifies household “energy insecurity,” as a main factor in a household’s inability to pay their energy bill(s). This is defined as when a household has to pay for equipment expenses related to home energy use and therefore is unable to pay their utility bill.
To learn more about energy insecurity and other energy usage data produced by the RECS, check out the EIA’s 2015 Survey Data here. For more information on energy assistance in your state, visit the LIHEAP Clearinghouse website
Sources:
Berry, Chip. U.S. Energy Information Administration. “One in three U.S. households faced challenges in paying energy bills in 2015.” 2017.
U.S. Energy Information Administration. Winter Fuels Outlook. Pages 1-7. 2017.
