Temperatures the last few days have risen in the state and that’s good news as the Iowa Department of Natural Resources finds heating fuel costs are up too. D-N-R fuel-price analyst Jennifer Moehlman says natural-gas and propane costs have both risen, she says, explaining that natural gas hit a new high in late November. Since then it’s come down a little but still costs nearly twice what it did last year.
Your bill may not be twice what it was last year, but you’re likely to be spending 30 to fifty-percent more. Two other heating fuels had mixed reports in the last survey. Propane prices are also a little more expensive, and though heating oil actually dropped a bit recently that’s because it had gone so high after the autumn hurricanes this year. Moehlman says efficiency is your best hope for holding down the heating bill, turning down the furnace and plugging leaks and drafts.