Heating fuel costs rising

The prices of home heating fuels are going up, and a state fuel market analyst says prices will continue to rise through the winter. Jennifer Moehlman of the Department of Natural Resources says about 65 percent of Iowa homes are heated with natural gas.Moehlman says natural gas prices are higher than last year, but only about five percent at this point. Moehlman says demand will increase as the winter progresses, and Iowans will pay up to 30 percent more this season to heat their homes if they use natural gas. Moehlman says the price of propane averages about $1.01 per gallon, about 20 percent higher than last year. She says the price of propane could go higher as demand increases. About 11 percent of Iowa homes are heated with propane. About eight percent use heating oil. Moehlman says the price of heating oil is now about eight percent higher than it was last year. The state’s latest gasoline price survey found a gallon of self-serve averaging $1.43, but Moehlmann says prices have risen in many areas since the price check occurred on November 15.