Yeah, I already knew that, Globe.
"Energy forecast brings a chill; Higher bills predicted for oil, natural gas customers" by y D.C. Denison, Globe Staff / October 23, 2010
Homeowners who have been used to lower heating bills because of the recession may shiver at the thought: The Department of Energy is expecting double-digit price increases for customers in the Northeast who heat with oil or natural gas.
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The latest government forecast predicts a 13.3 percent rise in energy costs for homeowners in the region who heat with oil, and an 11.6 percen increase for those who use natural gas. Electricity prices ar expected to rise 4.7 percent.
In the Northeast, the average bill to heat a home with oil will be $2,201 for the season, according to the forecast; that's more than $259 more than last winter....
Consumers here could be hit particularly hard as higher fuel cots combine with a colder winter, according to the energy departments predictions. The winter is forecast by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to be 5 percent more frigid than last year, the Energy Department said.
These are the same guys hollering global warming, right?
Ken Williams, president of Scott Williams Inc, a heating and air conditioning company in Quincy said that if oil prices go up it will be because of federal policies that weaken the dollar and make foreign supplies more expensive.
A rise in heating oil prices will affect Massachusetts more than many other states because of the higher percentage of homes here that are heated with oil.
Yeah, that's the self-righteous and hypocritical liberal fascist state I know and love so much.
Heating oil prices are affected by international conditions, including the state of global reserves and increased demand from economies like China and Western Europe, said Neil Gamson, an economist at the energy department.
Yeah, anything but the dollar going into the dumper says the government liar.
Natural gas and electricity are not "global fuels," and so are not as vulnerable to worldwide economic trends, he said.
WTF is he talking about? Why are energy companies so interested in natural gas contracts, and just how is that power plant that provides electricity?
What a shit government we have over here in AmeriKa.
However the price of heating oil moves, consumers concerned about the cost of heat should not pursue plans that lock in prices in advance of the season, according to Quincy oil dealer Williams.
"We don't offer that anymore. Most dealers don't," he said. The reason: For four of the last six years, heating oil prices have gone down over the course of the winter, saddling "locked in" customers with higher rates, and dealers with pricing headaches.
During 2008, for example, the price of home heating oil unexpectedly dropped from $4.72 to $2 a gallon, and "consumers who had locked in at the higher rate got burned," said Williams....
If they aren't being robbed by banks or having fingers stuck up their ass at the airport.
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