Report: Winter Heating Oil Costs Expected To Increase Over 31%, Electric By 9%, Natural Gas By 5.8%

On September 14, the National Energy Assistance Directors Association released a report saying home heating costs are projected to rise by 8.7 percent this winter, more than twice the rate of inflation, driven primarily by higher electricity, and heating oil costs. 

Heating oil costs are projected to rise by 31.3 percent, largely because of the sharp increase in heating oil prices driven by the war in Iran

Families that rely on electric heating are projected to see costs rise by 9.0 percent, while households using natural gas are expected to see heating costs increase by 5.8 percent. 

Across all fuel types, these increases in heating costs are being moderated by expectations for a warmer winter due to El Niño, which typically brings warmer-than-normal winter temperatures to much of the United States, reducing the amount of energy households need to heat their homes.

Approximately 51% of households in Pennsylvania heat with natural gas, 26% with electricity, 13.5% with heating oil, 5% with propane and 4.5% with wood or other sources

NEADA is urging Congress to increase Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)  funding from $4 billion to $7 billion to help families manage rising home energy costs. 

Energy bills are taking up a growing share of household budgets, particularly as energy prices continue to rise. 

For low and moderate income households, the issue is not simply that energy costs are rising. 

Higher heating and electricity bills leave families with less money for food, housing, transportation and other basic necessities. 

Increasing LIHEAP funding is therefore essential to helping families afford their energy bills, avoid falling into utility debt and keep their homes safely heated and cooled.

Click Here for a copy of the report.

Click Here for the NEADA announcement.

[NOTE: The US Energy Information Administration has not yet put out its winter heating costs report which is usually the most comprehensive.]

Related Articles This Week:

-- PUC Study Warns Rapid Data Center Growth Will Cause PJM Electric Grid To Fail Reliability Standard In 2027, If No Further Actions Taken  [PaEN] 

-- PPL Electric Files Proposal With PUC To Make Electric Transmission Costs More Transparent, Establishes New Way To Assign Costs Incurred For Data Centers To Those Customers  [PaEN]  

-- PA GreenGov Council, Penn State Sustainability Host 2026 Sustainability Week Oct. 5-9 With Timely Webinars Exploring The Future Of Pennsylvania's Energy  [PaEN] 

-- Solar Energy Canopy Installation Nearly Complete At PA Turnpike’s Headquarters Building In Dauphin County  [PaEN] 

-- Allegheny County, City Of Pittsburgh, Solar United Neighbors Launch Switch Together To Help Local Homeowners Reduce Energy Costs By Going Solar  [PaEN]  

-- DEP, PHFA Host Sept. 24 Webinar On New Homeowner Energy Efficiency Loan Program To Reduce Your Energy Costs  [PaEN] 

-- Report: Winter Heating Oil Costs Expected To Increase Over 31%, Electric By 9%, Natural Gas By 5.8%  [PaEN]  

NewsClips:

-- Utility Dive: PA PUC Report: PJM Faces 2030 Reliability Crisis If Data Center Load Growth Continues; PJM Agrees Demand Growing Faster Than The Ability To Build New Power Sources

-- PennLive - Charles Thompson: PUC Report Warns Of More Power Outages As A.I. Data Centers Surge In Pennsylvania 

-- WHYY - Sophia Schmidt: A.I. Data Center Growth Could Mean Blackouts In Coming Year, PA PUC Report Says

-- The Center Square: PUC Warns A.I. Data Center Demand Threatens Electricity Grid Reliability

-- PA Senate Republican Statement On PUC Power Grid Report [No Solutions Included]

[Posted: September 15, 2026] PA Environment Digest