Winter Heating Costs To Spike: How Much More Will MD Residents Pay?

MARYLAND — Home heating costs in Maryland are expected to rise sharply this winter, especially for households that use natural gas and heating oil, the Energy Department said Wednesday.

The bleak report sparked worry by some that local home heating assistance programs may not be able to make up the difference for struggling families.

The agency projects natural gas bills across the nation will jump by 28 percent over last winter, heating oil bills will go up 27 percent, electricity will be 10 percent higher, and propane will cost 5 percent more.

The Energy Department projects the average household in the Northeast region will pay about $1,094 to heat their homes with natural gas this winter, an increase of 23 percent.

Looking at electricity costs, the Energy Department projects the average household in the Northeast region will pay about $1,679 to power their homes with electricity this winter, an increase of 11 percent.

The surge in home heating costs comes on top of stubborn inflation that is raising the price of almost everything. Inflation rates accelerated last month with consumer prices, excluding the volatile food and energy sectors, growing 6.6 percent, the fastest such pace in four decades. Overall, the September Consumer Price Index was up 8.2 percent from the year prior.

People who need help paying their heating bills should check to see if they’re eligible for assistance under the federally funded Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. In Maryland, the Office of Home Energy Programs offers help with heating and water utility costs.

Residents can apply for energy assistance at any time during the year, but you can only receive benefits once each year and must reapply each fiscal year (July-June).

If you are having trouble affording your utility or heating bill, you do not need a turn-off notice to qualify for assistance. The Office of Home Energy Programs encourages residents to apply for assistance before any shut-off notice so money can be applied to your account as soon as possible. All OHEP program eligibility is income-based and you do not need a turn-off notice to qualify for assistance.

Customers may apply through any one of the following methods:

• You can apply online by visiting: https://mydhrbenefits.dhr.state.md.us
• Remember to upload all of your documents along with your application.
• Submitting your documents separately from your online application will delay your application

Drop Boxes

Energy Assistance offices have secure drop boxes available to receive your application and documents.

• First, download and print the Application for Energy Assistance. You can also request a paper application by calling 1-800-332-6347.
• Next, complete your application and gather your documents. You can find a list of documents that you should include in your application by here: Instructions Form
• Once you have your completed application and documents, take them to your local office’s drop box and submit them.
• Baltimore City residents should drop applications at the nearest CAP Center. For a list of locations, click here: https://www.bmorechildren.com/cap/#location

Mail-in Applications

To apply by mail, you can request an application be mailed to you, or print a copy of the application and mail it, along with copies of all your documents to your local Energy Assistance office. To see a full list of locations please visit:
https://dhs.maryland.gov/office-of-home-energy-programs/local-home-energy-program-office/
Telephone

Energy Assistance offices can accept applications over the phone. However, you will need to email or mail your documents to the local office after your information has been taken. Energy assistance does not need documents to be scanned, we can accept clear pictures of your documents where text is visible.
In-person

Call your local office to schedule an appointment. To see a full list of locations please visit: https://dhs.maryland.gov/office-of-home-energy-programs/local-home-energy-program-office/

Congress added $1 billion to the LIHEAP fund, strained during the third-hottest summer on record, bringing it to $4.8 billion. But the amount of assistance available falls short of last year, when pandemic relief packages took the fund to $8 billion.

Advocacy groups across the country are pressuring utilities to implement a moratorium on winter shut-offs.

The projected spike in winter’s heating bills — the highest in more than a decade, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association — are the result of converging factors.

Global energy consumption has rebounded from the early days of the pandemic, and supply was barely keeping pace before the war in Ukraine further reduced supplies. The situation is even bleaker in Europe, where Russia’s continued curtailment of natural gas is pushing prices upward and causing painful shortages.

Anxiety is growing among consumers across the country. The pain will be especially acute in New England, which is heavily reliant on heating oil to keep homes warm. It’s projected to cost more than $2,300 to heat a typical home with heating oil this winter, the Energy Department said.

“People are scared. They’re worried. They’re frustrated,” Lisa McGee, who coordinates the heating aid program in Lewiston, Maine, told the Associated Press. “There’s more anxiety this year.”

Mark Wolfe, the executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, said a “crisis is coming.”

“There’s a lot of uncertainty and factors in play that could drive prices higher,” he told the AP.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.