Experts say home heating costs will likely be cheaper this winter

MARATHON CITY, Wis. (WSAW) - As the temperatures continue to drop, your furnace will be working more and more, but the good news is your gas bill is expected to be cheaper this year than a year ago.

Wisconsin Public Service said they anticipate we’ll see heating bills to be about $20 less per month compared to last year at this time. The reason for the stable prices, they said, is because they stockpiled natural gas when it was cheap.

“And what we’re seeing with that comes down to our proactive approach of buying and storing natural gas when prices are lower, as well, as we’ve seen a decline in the price of natural gas, production of natural gas has caught back up with demand,” said Matt Cullen, spokesman for Wisconsin Public Service.

You can also help your financial cause by using as little energy as possible by winterizing your home and placing a mat under the door to keep the cold air out.

“So things like sealing caulk or weather stripping to keep that warm air inside your home in the cold air outside,” said Cullen.

Hurtis Heating and Air in Marathon City services HVAC systems in homes and said people often neglect to take care of their heating essentials outdoors.

“Once it starts to snow outside, one of the things that you’ll want to do is check your PVC venting. If your furnace is a high-efficiency furnace, chances are it vents through two PVC tubes which go up the side of your house,” said James. “And you’ll want to keep an eye on those and make sure that the snow does not get up to that level and cover those.”

He said if you leave home for an extended time, don’t turn the temperature back more than five degrees than usual. If you do, it’s been shown that it takes more energy to come back to the temperature that you want.

“So if you normally keep it at 69 degrees, we would say don’t set your thermostat back more than 64 degrees,” said James.

If you haven’t had it done yet have a professional inspect and tune up your furnace. WPS says it’s also important that you install carbon monoxide detectors in your home.

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