Breaking down the cost of your utility bills

THE WAY. WE FIRST CAME TO EXPORT FUEL IN OIL DISTRIBUTOR IN WESTMORELAND COUNTY BACK IN NOVEMBER. THEY WERE OPERATING IN A SHORTAGE ENVIRONMENT STEMMING FROM OIL REFINERY PROBLEMS AND RUSSIA’S WAR IN UKRAINE REQUIRES LESS THAN DEMAND. AND THAT’S CAUSING THE PRICES TO STAY UP. EXPORT FUEL ALONG WITH THEIR CUSTOMERS, WERE IN SHOCK AT HOW MUCH HEATING OIL WAS GOING TO COST TO GET FAMILIES THROUGH THE WINTER. BUT THINGS HAVE CHANGED. A LITTLE RIGHT NOW FOR 150 GALLONS YOU’RE LOOKING AT FOR 55 NINE PER GALLON. WHEN WE FIRST MET, IT WAS 575 NINE PER GALLON. SO IT HAS DEFINITELY DECREASED. BUT WHEN YOU DO THE MATH, YOU’RE STILL OVER $600 TO 450 GALLONS OF FUEL IN YOUR HOME, 150 GALLONS OF HEATING OIL WILL LAST ABOUT TWO WEEKS DURING A COLD WINTER. BUT THIS WINTER HAS BEEN MILD SO FAR. SO THAT’S SAVING PEOPLE SOME MONEY. WE’VE BEEN FORTUNATE THAT THE WINTER HASN’T BEEN VERY COLD. BUT REGARDLESS, IT’S STILL NOT VERY AFFORDABLE. IF YOU USE ELECTRIC HEATING EXPERTS SAY THE WARMER WINTER IS HELPING KEEP MONEY IN YOUR WALLET, TOO. AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS WE’RE CONSUMING LESS FUEL TO HEAT OUR HOMES. SOME HOMES ARE HEATED WITH NATURAL GAS, SOME HOMES WITH ELECTRICITY OR HEATING OILS. BUT ALMOST HALF THE HOMES IN THE COUNTRY ARE HEATED BY NATURAL GAS. THEY’RE NOT HAVING TO USE THEIR HEATER AS MUCH BECAUSE IT’S SO WARM. THAT MEANS DEMAND FOR NATURAL GAS IS LOWER THAN WE WOULD TYPICALLY SEE THIS TIME OF YEAR. THE U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION IS ALSO PREDICTING THAT PRICES THIS YEAR WILL DROP. BUT REALLY, WHAT WE’RE SEEING IN OUR FORECAST, THAT THAT MAKES US THINK NATURAL GAS PRICES ARE COMING DOWN IS THAT PRODUCTION OF NATURAL GAS IS COMING UP. WE EXPECT TO THE U.S. NATURAL GAS PRODUCTION IS GOING TO HIT RECORD LEVELS IN 2023. WE EXPECT THAT IN 2024 WILL BEAT THAT RECORD THAT WE SET IN 2023. SO AS WE’RE SEEING THAT PRODUCTION INCREASE, IT’S GOING TO BALANCE AGAINST THOSE DEMAND, THAT DEMAND GROWTH THAT WE SEE FOR FOR SUMMER. AC AND NEXT WINTER’S HEAT. THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION SAYS THEY’VE ALREADY STARTED TO SEE ENERGY PRICES MOVE BACK DOWN, BUT THAT CAN CHANGE WEEK TO WEEK. THAT CAN CHANGE IF WE END UP WITH AN EXTREME COLD SNAP IN FEBRUARY. THAT CAN CHANGE IN SOME CASES BECAUSE OF WEATHER AND DEMAND ELSEWHERE IN THE COUNTRY OR GLOBAL SITUATIONS. OKAY. SO IF YOU STILL WANT TO LOWER YOUR ENERGY BILLS, KRISTIN POWERS LOOKED INTO THIS. SO REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH OR HOW LITTLE YOU’RE USING, HERE ARE SOME TIPS. AND MOST OF THEM ARE THINGS YOU ALREADY KNOW ABOUT, BUT THEY ARE A GOOD REMINDER. FIRST, PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR THERMOSTAT. THE PUC SAYS EVERY DEGREE COULD CHANGE YOUR COST BY UP TO 3%. NOW, ONE THING THAT’S EASY TO FORGET, BUT REALLY IMPORTANT, MAKE SURE YOU CLEAN THOSE FURNACES AND DUCTS REGULARLY IN YOUR HOME. ALONG WITH CHANGING THOSE FILTERS TO KEEP YOUR SYSTEM RUNNING EFFICIENTLY. SOMETHING ELSE TO CHECK HERE. YOUR HOT WATER HEATER SETTINGS. ANYTHING OVER 120 DEGREES MIGHT NOT BE NECESSARY, BUT COULD BE A MAJOR POWER DRAIN. AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR DISHWASHER AND YOUR WASHING MACHINE FULLY LOADED WHEN YOU RUN THEM TO CUT DOWN ON THE NUMBER OF LOADS. ALL RIGHT. SO IF YOU NEED HELP PAYING FOR YOUR UTILITY BILLS RIGHT NOW, OFFICIALS SAY SOMETIMES ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS CALL YOUR UTILITY COMPANY AND ASK. WE DO HAVE SOME RESOURCES FOR

Many of us are feeling price shock when we open our monthly utility bills.Back in November, we reported natural gas prices were going up 150% for some households. People using home heating oil were seeing even bigger increases.We checked with industry experts about how you can save money and if any relief is on the way.We first went to Export Fuel, an oil distributor in Westmoreland County, in November. They were operating in a shortage environment stemming from oil refinery problems and Russia's war in Ukraine.“Supply is less than demand and that's causing the prices to stay up,” Export Fuel General Manager Kristen Zawoyski said.Export Fuel, along with their customers, was in shock at how much heating oil was going to cost to get families through the winter. Things have changed a little.One hundred and fifty gallons of heating oil will last about two weeks during a cold winter, but this winter has been mild so far, so that is saving people some money.“We've been fortunate that the winter hasn't been very cold, but regardless, it's still not very affordable,” Zawoyski said.If you use electric heating, experts say the warmer winter is helping keep money in your wallet too.“What that means is we're consuming less fuel to heat our homes,” said Chris Higginbotham, press officer with the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Some homes are heated with natural gas, some homes with electricity or heating oils. But almost half of the homes in the country are heated by natural gas. They're not having to use their heater as much because it's so warm. That means demand for natural gas is lower than we would typically see this time of year."The U.S. Energy Information Administration is also predicting that prices this year will drop.“But really what we're seeing in our forecast, that that makes us think natural gas prices are coming down is that production of natural gas is coming up,” Higginbotham said. “We expect that U.S. natural gas production is going to hit record levels in 2023. We expect that in 2024 will beat that record that we set in 2023.”The Public Utility Commission says they've already started to see energy prices move back down but that can change week to week.“That can change if we end up with an extreme cold snap in February,” said Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, spokesperson with the Public Utility Commission. That can change in some cases because of weather and demand elsewhere in the country or global situations.If you still want to lower your energy bills, regardless of how much or little you're using, here are some tips:Pay attention to your thermostat. The PUC says every degree could change your cost by up to 3%.Make sure you clean your furnace and ducts regularly, along with changing those filters, to keep your system running efficiently.Check your hot water heater settings. Anything over 120 degrees might not be necessary, but could be a major power drain.Make sure you have your dishwasher and washing machine fully loaded when you run them to cut down on the number of loads.If you need help paying for your utility bills, officials say sometimes you just need to ask.Click here for more information on PA Public Utility Commission’s Utility Assistance Programs.

Many of us are feeling price shock when we open our monthly utility bills.

Back in November, we reported natural gas prices were going up 150% for some households. People using home heating oil were seeing even bigger increases.

We checked with industry experts about how you can save money and if any relief is on the way.

We first went to Export Fuel, an oil distributor in Westmoreland County, in November. They were operating in a shortage environment stemming from oil refinery problems and Russia's war in Ukraine.

“Supply is less than demand and that's causing the prices to stay up,” Export Fuel General Manager Kristen Zawoyski said.

Export Fuel, along with their customers, was in shock at how much heating oil was going to cost to get families through the winter.

Things have changed a little.

One hundred and fifty gallons of heating oil will last about two weeks during a cold winter, but this winter has been mild so far, so that is saving people some money.

“We've been fortunate that the winter hasn't been very cold, but regardless, it's still not very affordable,” Zawoyski said.

If you use electric heating, experts say the warmer winter is helping keep money in your wallet too.

“What that means is we're consuming less fuel to heat our homes,” said Chris Higginbotham, press officer with the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “Some homes are heated with natural gas, some homes with electricity or heating oils. But almost half of the homes in the country are heated by natural gas. They're not having to use their heater as much because it's so warm. That means demand for natural gas is lower than we would typically see this time of year."

The U.S. Energy Information Administration is also predicting that prices this year will drop.

“But really what we're seeing in our forecast, that that makes us think natural gas prices are coming down is that production of natural gas is coming up,” Higginbotham said. “We expect that U.S. natural gas production is going to hit record levels in 2023. We expect that in 2024 will beat that record that we set in 2023.”

The Public Utility Commission says they've already started to see energy prices move back down but that can change week to week.

“That can change if we end up with an extreme cold snap in February,” said Nils Hagen-Frederiksen, spokesperson with the Public Utility Commission. That can change in some cases because of weather and demand elsewhere in the country or global situations.

If you still want to lower your energy bills, regardless of how much or little you're using, here are some tips:

Pay attention to your thermostat. The PUC says every degree could change your cost by up to 3%.
Make sure you clean your furnace and ducts regularly, along with changing those filters, to keep your system running efficiently.
Check your hot water heater settings. Anything over 120 degrees might not be necessary, but could be a major power drain.
Make sure you have your dishwasher and washing machine fully loaded when you run them to cut down on the number of loads.
If you need help paying for your utility bills, officials say sometimes you just need to ask.

Click here for more information on PA Public Utility Commission’s Utility Assistance Programs.

Breaking down the cost of your utility bills

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