AARP: N.Y. heating bills could spike 13% this year
ALBANY – New Yorkers could see home heating bills increase more than 13 percent this year, putting many elderly people at risk, AARP said in a report Monday.
New York has the second highest electric heat bills in the country, at 60 percent above the national average, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said.
“High home heating bills can offset the delicate balance of older New Yorkers already have when it comes to affording the basics,” Beth Finkel, state director of the AARP, said in a statement. “Too often, older New Yorkers have to choose between paying their heating bill and paying for their prescriptions.”
Customers who have natural gas heating are expected to pay a total of about $679 for heat this winter, a 13 percent increase, and oil heating should drop 2 percent, the Energy Department reported last month. But oil customers are still expected to pay the second highest bill on record at $2,046 this winter.
The report says that electric costs are expected to increase 2 percent this winter, or an average of $18 more this winter compared with last year.
More than half of residents in the state use natural gas heating and while the natural-gas cost is growing this winter, the cost will still be about 6 percent lower than the three-year average, the state Public Service Commission estimated last month.
“As more and more customers turn to natural gas for their heating needs, ensuring a reliable gas supply remains a paramount concern of the commission,” Public Service Commission Chairwoman Audrey Zibelman said in a statement. “Our analysis indicates that utilities serving New York have adequate supply and inventory to satisfy the expected demand this winter.”
The AARP report found older residents who make under $20,000 a year will be the most at-risk group because the group spends the highest percentage of household income on heating bills. An AARP survey found 60 percent of residents older than 50 say that paying their home heating bill is a problem.
The federal Home Energy Assistance Program awards about $190 million to eligible low-income residents to help pay home heating bills. The funding was cut from $204 million last year.
A single-person household must not make more than $2,175 a month. The monthly income threshold grows depending on the size of the household size increases.
Residents can apply for the program starting Nov. 18 to receive benefits starting from $400 to over $600 to help heat their homes. The benefits are awarded to eligible residents on a first-come, first-serve basis.
AHUPFL@Gannett.com