A Massachusetts household that earns too much for ordinary fuel assistance may still get help with an oil bill this winter. Gov. Maura Healey’s office announced on Oct. 5 a new benefit of up to $680 for about 50,000 middle-income households, and it sits on top of the state’s regular heating aid, which begins taking…

Propane-heated homes in the Northeast are forecast to carry the largest propane bills of the regions the agency reports this winter. The U.S. Energy Information Administration, the Energy Department’s statistics agency, projects that households there will spend about $1,687 on propane from November through March, compared with $1,164 in the South. The figures come from…

Ohioans who have fallen behind on a gas or electric bill can keep the service on, or get it turned back on, for no more than $175 starting October 12. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio issued the 2026-2027 Special Reconnect Order on September 30, and the state’s consumer advocate says there is no income…

Four states have winter rules that decide whether a household behind on its gas or electric bill keeps the heat on, and they do not start on the same day. In Michigan and Maryland the protections begin November 1, and Indiana’s begin December 1. Kentucky works differently: once winter starts, a certified household can get…

Henry Hub is the benchmark that sets the tone for natural gas prices across the country, and the Energy Information Administration expects it to slip next year. In its October 6 outlook, the agency forecasts the Henry Hub price will average $3.16 per million British thermal units in 2027. That is down 32 cents, or…

Heating with electricity usually means one monthly bill and no fuel deliveries, but this winter that bill is forecast to edge up. The Energy Information Administration says in its October 6 Short-Term Energy Outlook: “We forecast homes that use electricity as the main heating source will spend slightly more this winter.” The agency, part of…

The price of a kilowatt-hour at home has been climbing for three years, and the Energy Information Administration expects it to keep going. Its October 6 outlook forecasts that U.S. residential electricity will average 18.7 cents per kilowatt-hour in 2027, up from 18.2 cents in 2026 and 17.3 cents in 2025. In 2024 the figure…

About half the country heats with natural gas or propane, and for those homes the winter forecast carries some good news. The Energy Information Administration expects them to spend less on average on those fuels this winter than last. The agency’s October 6 Short-Term Energy Outlook puts it this way: homes using the two fuels…

Of all the ways American homes heat, oil is the one headed for the sharpest jump this winter. The Energy Information Administration, the Energy Department’s statistics agency, forecasts that spending on heating oil will rise 21 percent from last winter. Its October 6 Short-Term Energy Outlook says heating oil prices are up more than 30…

February 2027 is the month the California Public Utilities Commission’s fact sheet gives for the first natural gas credit on residential bills. It will sit beside the electric credit that already arrives without an application. The sheet, dated April 30, 2026, describes the whole program as “an automatic direct credit on residential energy bills” and…