{"id":23413,"date":"2019-11-04T15:03:55","date_gmt":"2019-11-04T21:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/?p=23413"},"modified":"2019-11-05T12:23:13","modified_gmt":"2019-11-05T18:23:13","slug":"natural-gas-bills-predicted-to-drop-unless-you-live-in-the-midwest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/blog\/2019\/11\/04\/natural-gas-bills-predicted-to-drop-unless-you-live-in-the-midwest\/","title":{"rendered":"Natural gas bills predicted to drop–unless you live in the Midwest"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

The EIA, the statistical arm of the Energy Department, predicts average natural gas bills in the Midwest will be up slightly this winter, compared with last.<\/p><\/div>\n

Midwesterners who use natural gas to heat their homes could see their bills go up slightly this winter season, even as the nationwide average drops, according to the\u00a0<\/span>U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The EIA<\/b><\/a>, the statistical arm of the Department of Energy, predicts that average gas bills in the Midwest will be up about <\/span>1.5 percent<\/b><\/a> this winter (October through March), compared with last. While gas prices are forecast to be up this winter, usage could be down due to a <\/span>milder winter<\/b><\/a>, the EIA said. (CUB\u2019s take: A greater awareness of energy efficiency also has had an<\/span>\u00a0impact.)<\/p>\n

As a result, the EIA predicts Midwestern natural gas consumers will spend $611 on average this winter, up from $603 last winter. That\u2019s the region\u2019s highest natural gas expenditure prediction since $676 in the winter of 2014-2015.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Average gas bills for the winter heating season in the Midwest have ranged from a high of $731 in the winter of 2013-14 to a low of $480 in the winter of 2015-16.<\/p><\/div>\n

But the Midwest seems to be in contrast with the rest of the nation\u2019s natural gas heaters this winter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Across the country,\u00a0 the EIA expects typical natural gas heating households to spend about $580 this winter, down about 1 percent from last winter\u2019s national average. Again, while higher gas prices are predicted, consumption is expected to drop.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As for electric heaters in the Midwest, the EIA expects average winter electric heating costs to decrease by 3 percent this year, floating around $1,281. Although Illinois and most surrounding states primarily use natural gas for heating, electricity is the second most commonly used heating source.<\/span><\/p>\n

The expected decline in national consumption can be linked to a w<\/span>armer forecast. Based on the most recent prediction from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the EIA expects a warmer winter for most of the country. Last winter was slightly colder than the 10-winter average, from 2009 to 2019.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Your winter heating bill is dependent on many factors, including your thermostat settings.<\/p><\/div>\n

Keep in mind, all these numbers are EIA averages. Your individual winter heating cost is largely dependent on local weather conditions, utility rates, thermostat settings, the size of your home, and how energy efficient it is.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For more information on how to cut your heating costs, visit <\/span>our website<\/b><\/a> to see if your home is ready for winter weather.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Midwesterners who use natural gas to heat their homes could see their bills go up slightly this winter season, even as the nationwide average drops, according to the\u00a0U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).\u00a0 The EIA, the statistical arm of the Department of Energy, predicts that average gas bills in the Midwest will be up about 1.5 percent this winter (October through March), compared with last. While gas prices are forecast to be up this winter, usage could be down due to a milder winter, the EIA said. (CUB\u2019s take: A greater awareness of energy efficiency also has had an\u00a0impact.) As a result, the EIA predicts Midwestern natural gas consumers will spend $611 on average this winter, up from $603 last winter. That\u2019s the region\u2019s highest natural gas expenditure prediction since $676 in the winter of 2014-2015.\u00a0 But the Midwest seems to be in contrast with the rest of the nation\u2019s natural gas heaters this winter. Across the country,\u00a0 the EIA expects typical natural gas heating households to spend about $580 this winter, down about 1 percent from last winter\u2019s national average. Again, while higher gas prices are predicted, consumption is expected to drop.\u00a0 As for electric heaters in the Midwest, the EIA expects average winter electric heating costs to decrease by 3 percent this year, floating around $1,281. Although Illinois and most surrounding states primarily use natural gas for heating, electricity is the second most commonly used heating source. The expected decline in national consumption can be linked to a warmer forecast. Based on the most recent prediction from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the EIA expects a warmer winter for most of the country. Last winter was slightly colder than the 10-winter average, from 2009 to 2019. Keep in mind, all these numbers are EIA averages. Your individual winter heating cost is largely dependent on local weather conditions, utility rates, thermostat settings, the size of your home, and how energy efficient it is.\u00a0 For more information on how to cut your heating costs, visit our website to see if your home is ready for winter weather.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[69],"tags":[222,95,729,1025],"class_list":["post-23413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-updates","tag-bills","tag-natural-gas","tag-natural-gas-bill","tag-winter-predictions"],"cp_meta_data":{"_edit_lock":["1572901433:20"],"_edit_last":["20"],"slide_template":["default"],"_wpb_vc_js_status":["false"],"borntogive_strict_no_sidebar":["0"],"borntogive_sidebar_columns_layout":["3"],"borntogive_page_header_show_hide":["2"],"borntogive_pages_title_show":["2"],"borntogive_pages_Choose_slider_display":["2"],"borntogive_pages_slider_pagination":["yes"],"borntogive_pages_slider_auto_slide":["yes"],"borntogive_pages_slider_direction_arrows":["yes"],"borntogive_pages_slider_effects":["fade"],"borntogive_pages_body_bg_wide":["0"],"borntogive_pages_body_bg_repeat":["repeat"],"borntogive_pages_content_bg_wide":["0"],"borntogive_pages_content_bg_repeat":["repeat"],"borntogive_pages_social_show":["1"],"borntogive_gallery_slider_pagination":["yes"],"borntogive_gallery_slider_auto_slide":["yes"],"borntogive_gallery_slider_direction_arrows":["yes"],"borntogive_gallery_slider_effects":["fade"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23413","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23413"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23413\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23413"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23413"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citizensutilityboard.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23413"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}