Home Heating Expert Offers Advice On How Homeowners Can Cut Into High Prices For Oil And Natural Gas This Winter – CBS New York

ROCKVILLE CENTER, NY (CBSNewYork) – Home heating oil and natural gas prices are rising steadily, and experts are warning homeowners that high winter bills could soon be on the way, which in some cases could even double.

So what should a homeowner do? CBS2’s Jennifer McLogan took advice from an expert Tuesday.

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There is a shiver in the air and many families are considering how best to make themselves comfortable.

The Knights of Rockville Center just got a new WiFi thermostat that Stephanie Knight can now control using her smartphone.

“We upgraded and got a condensing boiler. I’ve definitely noticed the gas bills are lower, ”she said.

But natural gas prices are rising dramatically.

“Last year in the northeast it cost about $ 730 to heat a house with natural gas. It could be well over $ 1,000 this year, ”said Mark Wolfe of the National Energy Assistance Association.

National Grid, PSEG Long Island and LIPA say they will all work to hedge costs to protect customers, but it’s too early to predict how volatile natural gas prices will be this winter.

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“Homeowners should have their boiler checked by a licensed plumber. You should have it cleaned, ”said Brendon Perini of C&L Plumbing in Lynbrook.

Perini said energy audit deadlines are filling up and storage facilities are overflowing. He said adding insulation to homes built before 1960, even just in the attic, can save an average of $ 200 a year.

“The insulation has come a long way lately where they do the spray foam insulation on certain homes,” he said.

He said other tips include mending outside leaks, removing window air conditioners, closing chimney flaps, reversing ceiling fans, and changing stove filters.

“This is a water heater. It’s gas. One of the things that happened on Long Island is the switch from oil to gas. It’s less expensive, ”said Perini.

He added, since the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the area, “People want to get their kettles off the ground, and now they have the combi kettles where they hang on the wall and are more efficient.”

But perhaps the simplest advice is centuries old – bundle up, pull back the curtains, and let the sun in.

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Experts say that despite soaring natural gas prices, heating oil will be twice as expensive in our region this winter, so it’s time to patch the leaks.