Winter of Discontent
By: Elaine S. Povich; Source: AARP Bulletin Date Posted: 2005-12-15 08:44:00-05:00
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Ellice Ronsheim and Mark Mederski of Grandview Heights, Ohio, thought for years about making their home more energy-efficient, but hadn't done much about it. Then came the big spike in fuel prices after the devastating Gulf Coast hurricanes. Suddenly, the time to act was now.
"It was something we were seriously considering before, but this was the straw that broke the camel's back," Ronsheim says.
People across the country are anxious about the high cost of heating this winter. Some are turning their fear into action by plugging up cracks that leak frigid air, insulating attics, investing in fleece socks—or, like Ronsheim, are enlisting energy specialists to tell them how to winterize their homes to stay warm on less fuel.
The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that consumers can expect to pay about $306, or 41 percent, more this winter than last for natural gas, $325, or 27 percent, more for oil and $33, or 5 percent, more for electricity.
Why are prices going up? Nearly 90 percent of 1,000 adults surveyed by ICR of Media, Pa., for the AARP Bulletin in late October blamed the oil companies, whose profits of $32.8 billion for the third quarter undoubtedly have fed consumer anger. Eighty-one percent also blamed both oil-exporting countries in the Middle East and growing international demand.
Frank Maisano, a refining industry spokesman, says the survey results are "unfortunate, but not surprising" in the wake of the hurricanes. "We're doing all we can to make sure people get the gasoline, heating oil and all the other types of heating supplies they need."
The survey, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points, also found that 78 percent of respondents pinned the price hikes on the recent hurricanes, about the same percentage who said the administration and Congress were to blame.
Homeowners in the survey also reported taking some steps to cope with fuel costs. Sixty-three percent said they have made efforts to cut energy use, such as turning down the thermostat. But just 38 percent reported making actual changes to their homes, such as caulking windows or buying energy-efficient appliances and furnaces.
Energy experts like David M. Miller, a manager of weatherization assistance programs at the Minnesota Department of Commerce, says that, at the very least, homeowners need to have their furnaces checked to make sure they're operating safely and efficiently.
Some changes—installing new windows or a solar-powered heating and cooling system—are more expensive, but they tend to pay for themselves over a period of time.
Many forms of state and local assistance and tax credits are available to help homeowners cope with heating costs. Some programs are income-based, such as the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. And a new federal law gives homeowners rebates or tax credits for certain energy-saving upgrades and repairs. They can get, for example, up to $500 in credits for caulking leaks or upgrading thermostats.
Elaine S. Povich writes about Congress and economic and health issues.
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