Heating Prices Hit Homeowners Where it Hurts

Global warming can't come fast enough for some Americans as they reach that time of year when they head down to the basement and turn on the furnace for the first time.  But instead of toasty toes on cold nights, their thoughts are of energy bill en fuego.

Oil prices hit a record close yesterday, with $100 a barrel prices looming and fears of tight supply with the entire northern hemisphere heading into winter.  This does not bode well for homes heated by oil or natural gas.  Even electric bills won't be pretty as energy prices move in concert with each other.

Homeowners in Boston have the dubious distinction of paying the highest heating prices in the nation, according to Forbes' list of the most expensive places to heat a home.

But HotPads is here to help. The following online resources can help you save real cash on your home or rental apartment's heating bills.  Check out this guide from the EPA, these tips from the California Energy Commission and plans from eHow.com.

Comments

[Jess]

Yikes! I know in Chicago it gets too cold to worry about the money, until the bill arrives anyway.

There are a few alternatives to energy-sucking space heaters though. Cozy Legs is a heating pad similar to a space heater in terms of warmth, but much safer and much less expensive to run: http://www.indus-tool.com/store/category.cgi?item=CL

Thanks for the tips and here's to keeping warm without going broke.

Jess D'Amico
Media Correspondent
www.indus-tool.com