![]() Last week, President Joe Biden’s administration urged foreign natural gas suppliers to increase production to meet demand. Scott Walker declared a propane emergency in 2014 due to a shortage of supplies stemming from harsh winters. Tony Evers declared a state of emergency last year and in 2019, and former Republican Gov. Other programs including the Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Focus on Energy provide incentives or assistance to renters and homeowners.ĭemocratic Gov. The Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program estimates at least 205,000 households will receive assistance on energy bills this winter. ![]() The American Rescue Plan Act set aside $4.5 billion for the Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program on top of other funding that’s available through September of next year. They also encourage those who need it to seek energy assistance. Utilities and consumer advocates are urging people to improve efficiency through updating insulation or heating equipment around the house to use less fuel this winter. He said customers could also see a bump on the electric side of their utility bills this winter due to the price hike. "Those surcharges should be easing off as the winter season starts, but natural gas is pinching us in a number of ways," Content said. He added that many utility customers across the state are still seeing surcharges on their bill related to the February spike in gas prices. Tom Content, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board, said the surge in prices comes at a tough time for people who have been struggling to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in natural gas consumption followed larger-than-average withdrawals this past winter due to extreme cold, which caused prices to spike and claimed hundreds of lives in Texas. ![]() This summer, demand for power to keep air conditioners running also drove natural gas prices higher, meaning less was put in storage for winter months. All those things came together to create this price increase." ![]() "As other economies start to come back, they have higher needs. There was some impacts from the hurricane this summer that impacted refineries, and then there's just that worldwide increase," Conway said. ![]() Several factors have lead to the increase, says Brendan Conway, spokesperson for the utilities and WEC Energy Group. Wisconsin Public Service customers could pay $40 more per month. The state’s largest electric and natural gas utility, We Energies, warns the cost to heat homes could go up by $25 per month for residential customers based on a typical winter. Homes that use propane for heating could see costs rise between 29 and 94 percent depending on the severity of winter weather. In the agency's winter fuels outlook, the EIA expects nearly half the nation's households that use natural gas will spend between 22 and 50 percent more on average, depending on whether the winter is colder or warmer than normal. The price to buy natural gas has spiked from $2.62 per million British thermal unit earlier this year to between $5 and $6 since late September, according to the Energy Information Administration. Natural gas has been relatively cheap for years, but prices have surged due to lower supplies and rising demand worldwide. Two of the state’s largest utilities are warning of higher heating bills this winter as natural gas prices have more than doubled since earlier this year. ![]()
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