Nearly half of U.S. homes heated with natural gas can expect to spend almost a third more on bills in upcoming months compared with a year prior, notes Grumpy Editor.
The Energy Information Administration says bills would be 50 percent higher if the winter is 10 percent colder than average and 22 percent higher if the winter is 10 percent warmer than average.
The forecast rise in costs, according to EIA, will result in an average natural-gas home-heating bill of $746 from this month to March 31, compared with about $573 during the same period last year.
Homes heated by electricity can expect a more modest six percent increase in bills.
The agency points out natural gas futures this year reached a seven-year high and the likelihood of a more frigid winter than what most of the country saw last year.
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