By Tami Luhby, CNN
(CNN) — Laura Kotting figured her home heating bill would be higher than usual because of the recent polar temperatures. But she was not prepared for the latest monthly tab to jump nearly 30% to $200 compared to last year.
“My first thought was ‘I’m not going shopping. I’m going to live on what’s in this house’,” said Kotting, 67, a retiree who lives in a 100-year-old home in Clarkston, Michigan. That means eating pasta, spaghetti sauce, sweet potatoes, frozen fruit and yogurt, while forgoing items like clementines and fresh vegetables.
Kotting, who is also trying to absorb higher Medicare premiums and grocery prices, was hoping to keep her natural gas bills down this winter by sealing two upstairs bedrooms and leaving them unheated. She also shuts her curtains and covered her fireplace and windows with plastic to keep out drafts. Plus she bought fleece-lined leggings so she’s more comfortable at home, since she sets the thermostat at 64 degrees during the day and 62 degrees at night.
“I know I’m not the only senior citizen wondering how they’re going to make ends meet,” said Kotting, who sold custom closets before being let go during the pandemic.
Rising prices for natural gas, electricity and home heating oil, combined with sustained frigid temperatures in much of the country, are burning yet another hole in many Americans’ wallets.
Home heating costs are expected to jump 11% this winter season, which runs from November to March, according to a revised estimate by the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. Earlier in the season, the group projected a 9.2% increase, but swiftly rising energy prices led it to bump up its forecast.
The vast majority of Americans heat their homes with electricity and natural gas, and their costs are forecast to soar by 14% to $1,242 and by 9.5% to $712, respectively, according to the association. Heating oil customers will see a 4.6% increase to $1,587, while the cost for propane users will edge up 1.1% to $1,339.
“It’s now part of the affordability discussion,” said Mark Wolfe, the association’s executive director.
Electric and natural gas prices will likely keep rising for the next few years, Wolfe said. Utilities are spending billions of dollars upgrading their aging infrastructure, while data centers are prompting a surge in demand for electricity. Meanwhile, the growth in natural gas exports is driving up that fuel’s prices.
The higher heating bills will likely leave more Americans behind on their utility bills. Already, one in six families are in arrears, Wolfe said, noting the association’s preliminary review shows that household utility debt climbed to roughly $25 billion at the end of last year, up from about $23 billion the prior year.
“As winter shutoff moratoriums begin to expire at the end of March, many households will face disconnection risk,” he said.
Trying to cut costs
The higher costs are forcing many Americans to find yet another way to pinch pennies.
Keith Green was in shock when he received a $540 electric bill for December, and he’s bracing for a $504 bill for January. The lumber yard manager typically pays in the $300 range to heat his 1,500-square-foot house in Cincinnati, Ohio. He thought putting plastic film on the windows and redoing the seals and trim on his exterior doors would help keep price hikes in check.
What’s particularly troubling Green is that his utility company gave him no warning or expl