--- title: 5 Ways to Lower Your Heating Bill as Costs Creep up Near Record Highs description: Heating costs will rise near record highs this winter, with natural gas the cheapest option. Here are ways to save money on your heat bill. authors: - name: Pete Grieve role: Lead News Reporter url: https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/ bio: Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter at Money who frequently covers news stories about housing topics including home buying, mortgage rates and homeowners insurance. education: University of Chicago, BA Political Science at_money_since: 2022 articles: 600 covers: - Housing - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes social: - https://twitter.com/pete_grieve - https://linkedin.com/in/pete-grieve-b5aa02138 - https://www.facebook.com/petegrieve4 editors: - name: Brad Tuttle role: Senior Editor url: https://money.com/author/brad-tuttle/ bio: Brad Tuttle is a former senior editor at Money with over 10 years’ experience covering a vast number of personal finance topics, including careers, cars, travel, budgeting, investing, insurance, credit cards, consumer psychology, real estate, banking, and shopping and deals. education: Columbia University School of Journalism, MS at_money_since: 2014 articles: 366 covers: - Housing - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology social: - https://twitter.com/bradrtuttle - https://linkedin.com/in/brad-tuttle-834b225 former_staff: true published: '2023-10-30T11:00:18.000Z' modified: '2024-01-10T15:15:16.000Z' section: Housing tags: - News word_count: 609 canonical: https://money.com/lower-heating-bill-as-costs-rise/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Close-up of a hand turning a home heater dial](https://img.money.com/2023/10/News-Heating-Bills-Rise.jpg) Americans will likely spend near record amounts to heat their homes this winter due to still-high energy prices. The average cost for winter heating in the U.S. is forecasted to be $1,106 this season, which would be just shy of last winter's 10-year high of $1,118, according to a National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA) [report](https://neada.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/winteroutlook2023.pdf). These levels reflect increases of more than 30% compared to the 2019-2020 winter when the average cost was $847. Customers who use natural gas, which is the most common type of heating covering 48% of households, could be in for a slight break compared to [last winter's heating costs](https://money.com/heating-bills-spike-forecast-winter/), according to the NEADA. But prices are expected to rise for all other major types of heating, including electric heating (43% of households), as well as propane and heating oil systems, which account for the remaining 9% of households. Here’s a breakdown of forecasted heating costs from October 2023 to March 2024: - Natural gas: $726 (-7.8% from last winter) - Electricity: $1,374 (+1.2%) - Heating Oil: $2,275 (+8.7%) - Propane: $1,538 (+4.2%) Households that rely on heating oil will face the highest bills this winter as their costs are forecasted to rise due to limited petroleum supply and concern about cuts from Russia and Saudi Arabia, according to the NEADA. A separate forecast on home heating prices that comes from the federal government is less pessimistic: The [Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts](https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/report/perspectives/2023/10-winterfuels/article.php) a 21% decrease in natural gas heating costs from last year and a 1% decrease in electric heating prices. However, that report acknowledges that prices will likely be higher if it ends up being a cold winter. ## Tips on how to save money on heating bills this winter Here are some of the things you can do to [lower your heating bills](https://money.com/how-to-prepare-your-home-for-winter/) as it gets colder: - **Reduce inefficiencies in your home:** Keeping warm air in and cold air out will save you money on your heating bill. Don't leave the windows open unnecessarily and consider closing curtains when the sun isn't coming through, to block the chill. Winterizing your home by fixing bad door seals or adding insulation can also make a big difference. - **Maintain your HVAC system:** Regardless of which type of heating system you have, it's important to make sure you're getting its full potential. This is a good time of year to check if your filters need to be replaced or if your heating devices need a tune up. Professional [HVAC maintenance](https://money.com/best-hvac-companies/) comes at a cost, but you might save money over the course of the winter. - **Don’t overheat your home:** Turn down the temperature on your thermostat when you’re at work or traveling. Also, most people can comfortably sleep at lower temperatures, and [programmable thermostats](https://money.com/best-smart-thermostat/) can automatically change the temperature for you at night to save money. - **Compare energy rates and providers:** In certain states with deregulated natural gas, customers can shop around for the best rates. The company delivering your gas will most likely stay the same, but you may have options for different suppliers. When you go online or call your utility company, you can also ask if there are any discounts or options you can pursue to lower your bill. - **Explore heating bill assistance:** State and local governments often have programs that can provide utility bill assistance to low-income households. There's also a [federal energy assistance program](https://money.com/heating-bills-help-state-programs/) administered by states. The website [Benefits.gov](https://www.benefits.gov/categories/Housing%20and%20Public%20Utilities) can guide you to resources in your state. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/lower-heating-bill-as-costs-rise/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Housing", "item": "https://money.com/housing/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Utilities", "item": "https://money.com/utilities/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "5 Ways to Lower Your Heating Bill as Costs Creep up Near Record Highs" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/lower-heating-bill-as-costs-rise/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/lower-heating-bill-as-costs-rise/", "name": "5 Ways to Lower Your Heating Bill as Costs Creep up Near Record Highs", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://money.com/#website" }, "datePublished": "2023-10-30T11:00:18.000Z", "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://money.com/lower-heating-bill-as-costs-rise/" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://money.com/lower-heating-bill-as-costs-rise/#breadcrumb" }, "dateModified": "2024-01-10T15:15:16.000Z" }, { "@type": "NewsArticle", "headline": "5 Ways to Lower Your Heating Bill as Costs Creep up Near Record Highs", "articleSection": "Housing", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://img.money.com/2023/10/News-Heating-Bills-Rise.jpg", "width": 1610, "height": 1073, "caption": "News-Heating-Bills-Rise" } ], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pete Grieve", "url": "https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/", "@id": "https://money.com/author/pete-grieve/#author", "description": "Pete Grieve is a personal finance reporter at Money who frequently covers news stories about housing topics including home buying, mortgage rates and homeowners insurance.", "image": "https://img.money.com/2023/02/peter.png?w=350&h=430&crop=1", "email": "peter.grieve@money.com", "jobTitle": "Lead News Reporter", "alumniOf": "University of Chicago, BA Political Science", "sameAs": [ "https://twitter.com/pete_grieve", "https://linkedin.com/in/pete-grieve-b5aa02138", "https://www.facebook.com/petegrieve4" ], "worksFor": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } } ], "publisher": "https://money.com/#organization", "datePublished": "2023-10-30T11:00:18.000Z", "description": "Heating costs will rise near record highs this winter, with natural gas the cheapest option. 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