Get ready for a 30% jump in heating oil costs this winter as Iran war drives up prices

Winter hasn’t even started yet, but Tommy Cole Jr. is already very worried about how he’ll afford to heat his home when the temperatures drop.

The Marine Corps veteran has been closely watching the cost of home heating oil, which has soared recently along with crude oil , diesel fuel and gasoline prices , as the US-Iran war drags on.

Last year , he struggled to keep his family of five warm in their rental home in Winchester, Massachusetts. Heating oil costs less than $4 a gallon for most of the season, but Cole still had to turn to federal assistance several times to help him fill the tank and to use space heaters, which sent his electric bill skyrocketing.

Cole, who is applying for veterans’ disability benefits, is counting on getting more help from the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known as LIHEAP. The heating oil that will soon be delivered to keep his hot water system operating will cost $5.56 a gallon.

“I’m going to be watching the door like a hawk for the mailman to drop the (LIHEAP) application,” said Cole, 46, whose wife runs an early childhood center. “As soon as it comes, I’m filling it out. I’m going to be the first one.”

Those like Cole, who heat their homes with oil, are forecast to pay a whopping 31.3% more to keep warm this winter, according to the latest analysis from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA). These customers will pay an estimated $2,300 for the season, which runs from mid-November to mid-March.

Other Americans won’t be squeezed quite as much, though they are also expected to face another year of increased heating costs, NEADA found. And it comes at a time when many folks are contending with higher costs for gas, groceries and other necessities.

Overall, winter heating costs are forecast to jump 8.7% — more than double the rate of inflation, according to NEADA. Although the season should be on the warmer side due to El Niño, the rising prices of electricity and heating oil mean customers need to prepare for bigger bills.

The cost of electric heat is projected to increase 9%, while heating with natural gas is expected to rise by 5.8% in price. Nearly 90% of US households use these two forms of heat. While oil heat is only used by 4% of households nationwide, it is far more prevalent in New England and Mid-Atlantic states.

Over the past five years, winter heating costs are up roughly 24%, NEADA found.

Many oil heat users typically make their first fuel purchases for the winter in September or October, said Mark Wolfe, NEADA’s executive director. But they may be wondering when is the best time to fill up, especially since prices usually rise gradually over the winter.

“You’re facing a dilemma: Do you buy your heating oil now? Do you wait till next month and hope that prices can come down? At the same time, prices could be going up,” he said.

NEADA has asked Congress for an additional $3 billion in LIHEAP funding to cover rising heating oil and electricity costs. The program received $4.1 billion for the current fiscal year, which ends September 30.

At one social services agency in Massachusetts, oil-heat clients are already asking how much assistance they’ll be eligible to receive, said Liz Berube, executive director at Fall River-based Citizens for Citizens. But she doesn’t know the amount since the federal government has yet to announce each state’s award, and community action programs have not yet asked state lawmakers to chip in more funding, which they often do.

Plus, the LIHEAP program doesn’t start until late October, she noted.

Berube is worried she won’t be able to provide as much aid to applicants this year since oil heat prices are so much higher. Last winter, the agency helped 2,160 oil-heat customers, who received just over $1,000 in assistance each, on average. The funds, which go directly to the oil-heat dealers, were enough to fill just over a tank.

However, if heating oil prices remain above $5 a gallon, that aid would only be enough for about three-quarters of a tank.

What’s more, dealers are telling her that they may no longer be able to afford to deliver just 100 gallons of heating oil — the typical minimum — because of record-high diesel prices for their trucks. That could really affect customers.

“Someone could need close to $700 or $800 just for one delivery,” she said.

Some Northeast residents have been trying to prepare. Dan Pfoltzer, a 75-year-old school bus driver who rents a small home in Nassau, New York, has been warily watching oil heat prices for months. His neighbor recently told him that her fuel bill doubled from last year.

Pfoltzer has been trying to pay down his debts, but lately, he’s been socking away money to cover the expected increase in his winter heating tab. He skipped visiting summer fairs and taking a vacation to New York City, where he likes going to Radio City Music Hall and enjoying “a good meal.”

“I’ve rearranged my budget heavily so I can absorb the added cost, which really angers me,” said Pfoltzer.

Oil heat customers aren’t the only ones worried about their winter heating bills. Those who heat with electricity have also seen their costs rise.

During the winter, Julian, a 33-year-old sculptor who lives and works in a converted factory in Brooklyn, New York, receives electricity bills that are as much as $800 a month. (Julian asked CNN not to use his last name for privacy reasons.)

Though he was awarded $325 in monthly LIHEAP aid, he is still behind in his payments to his utility company.

He keeps the thermostat in the low 60s and tries to keep warm using a heated blanket and bed cover. This winter, he will also try putting plastic on the windows.

“I’ve just accepted that it’s really cold,” said Julian. “It’s added to my stress.”

冬天还没真正开始，但小汤米·科尔就已经开始担心气温下降时他该如何支付家里的取暖费用了。

这位海军陆战队老兵一直密切关注着家用取暖油的价格，随着美伊战争的持续，家用取暖油的价格最近也随着原油、柴油和汽油价格的飙升而上涨。

去年，他在马萨诸塞州温彻斯特租住的房子里，一家五口人取暖都成了难题。虽然大部分时间取暖油的价格不到每加仑4美元，但科尔仍然不得不多次向联邦政府寻求援助，以支付油箱加满油和使用电暖器的费用，这导致他的电费飙升。

科尔正在申请退伍军人残疾抚恤金，他指望能从联邦低收入家庭能源援助计划（LIHEAP）获得更多帮助。他即将收到的用于维持热水系统运转的取暖油，每加仑售价5.56美元。

“我会像老鹰一样盯着门口，等着邮递员送来（低收入家庭能源援助计划）的申请表，”46岁的科尔说道，他的妻子经营着一家幼儿中心。“申请表一到，我就马上填。我一定要第一个填。”

根据美国国家能源援助主任协会（NEADA）的最新分析，像科尔这样使用燃油取暖的用户，预计今年冬天取暖费用将上涨高达31.3%。这些用户预计整个冬季（从11月中旬到次年3月中旬）将额外支付2300美元。

NEADA 的调查发现，其他一些美国人受到的压力不会那么大，但他们预计也将面临又一年取暖费用上涨的问题。而与此同时，许多人还在应对汽油、食品和其他必需品价格上涨的问题。

据美国国家能源与能源发展协会（NEADA）预测，冬季取暖费用总体将上涨8.7%，是通货膨胀率的两倍多。尽管受厄尔尼诺现象影响，冬季气温预计偏高，但电力和取暖油价格的上涨意味着消费者需要做好支付更高账单的准备。

预计电暖气成本将上涨9%，天然气供暖成本预计将上涨5.8%。近90%的美国家庭使用这两种供暖方式。虽然全国只有4%的家庭使用燃油供暖，但在新英格兰和大西洋中部各州，燃油供暖的使用率要高得多。

NEADA发现，过去五年冬季取暖费用上涨了约24%。

东北地区能源经销商协会（NEADA）执行董事马克·沃尔夫表示，许多燃油取暖用户通常会在9月或10月首次购买冬季燃油。但他们可能想知道何时才是最佳加油时机，尤其是在冬季油价通常会逐渐上涨的情况下。

他说：“你现在面临一个两难的选择：是现在购买取暖油？还是等到下个月，希望价格能下降？但与此同时，价格也可能上涨。”

美国国家紧急援助协会（NEADA）已向国会申请追加30亿美元的低收入家庭能源援助计划（LIHEAP）资金，以应对不断上涨的取暖油和电力成本。该计划在本财年（截至9月30日）已获得41亿美元的拨款。

马萨诸塞州一家社会服务机构的燃油取暖用户已经开始询问他们能获得多少援助，福尔里弗市“公民互助会”（Citizens for Citizens）的执行主任莉兹·贝鲁贝（Liz Berube）说道。但她也不清楚具体金额，因为联邦政府尚未公布各州的援助拨款，而社区行动计划也尚未像往常那样向州议员申请追加资金。

此外，她还指出，低收入家庭能源援助计划 (LIHEAP) 要到 10 月下旬才会开始。

贝鲁贝担心，由于燃油取暖价格大幅上涨，今年她可能无法为申请者提供那么多援助。去年冬天，该机构帮助了2160名燃油取暖用户，平均每人获得了略高于1000美元的援助。这些资金直接支付给燃油经销商，刚好够加满一箱油。

然而，如果取暖油价格持续高于每加仑 5 美元，那么这笔援助金只够加满大约四分之三的油箱。

更糟糕的是，经销商告诉她，由于卡车柴油价格创历史新高，他们可能再也负担不起仅运送100加仑取暖油（通常是最低数量）的费用了。这可能会对客户造成严重影响。

她说：“有人可能仅仅一次送货就需要近 700 或 800 美元。”

一些东北部居民一直在努力做好准备。75岁的丹·普福尔策是一名校车司机，在纽约州拿骚租了一间小房子。几个月来，他一直密切关注着燃油取暖价格。他的邻居最近告诉他，她的燃油账单比去年翻了一番。

普福尔策一直在努力偿还债务，但最近，他一直在攒钱，以应对预计上涨的冬季取暖费。他放弃了去参加夏季集市和去纽约市度假的计划，他喜欢去无线电城音乐厅欣赏演出，也喜欢在那里享用“一顿美食”。

“我已经大幅调整了预算，以便能够承担额外的费用，这真的让我很生气，”普福尔策说。

使用燃油取暖的用户并非唯一担心冬季取暖费用的人群。使用电力取暖的用户也发现他们的费用上涨了。

33岁的雕塑家朱利安住在纽约布鲁克林一家改建的工厂里，冬天他每月要支付高达800美元的电费。（朱利安要求CNN出于隐私考虑不要透露他的姓氏。）

虽然他每月获得了 325 美元的低收入家庭能源援助计划 (LIHEAP) 补助，但他仍然拖欠公用事业公司的款项。

他把恒温器温度调到60华氏度左右，并尽量用电热毯和电热被罩来保暖。今年冬天，他还打算在窗户上贴上塑料薄膜。

“我已经接受了天气真的很冷这个事实，”朱利安说。“这让我压力更大了。”