Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 25, 2008 10:33:21 PM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Shutoffs Loom as Heating Costs Spiral

Posted Apr 25, 08 10:02 AM CDT in US 

(Newser) – As heating-fuel costs climb, millions of Americans are behind on electric and gas bills—and a record number will face a shutoff over the next 2 months, the New York Times reports. A federal grant program to help beleaguered consumers keep the heat on covers just 35% of a winter's fuel costs, and states must decide whether to spread meager aid among many or provide more help to a few.

“Based on discussions with major utility companies around the country, we will see record numbers of families facing shutoffs,” said one state aid lobbyist. Some 5.8 million households will receive grants this year, a record over the past 16 years. Many are urging Congress to add $1 billion to the program to help calm fears of a bigger crisis next year.

Source New York Times

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Why $8 Gas Would Be Awesome

    Jul 11, 08 11:17 AM CDT
    Why $8 Gas Would Be Awesome Gas, as you may have heard, has topped $4 a gallon, and Joel Stein of the LA Times loves it. "Cheap gas is unfair," he argues, tongue mostly in cheek. Heck, why not make it $8 or even $10 a gallon, as in Europe, "where they have fewer road deaths even though they drive like complete idiots"? More »

  • Bundle Up — Heating Costs Rising This Winter

    Oct 20, 07 1:05 PM CDT
    Bundle Up — Heating Costs Rising This Winter Skyrocketing crude prices are sending shivers through American homeowners, who enter winter facing the highest heating oil prices in history. The average oil-heated household will spend $1,785 to keep warm this winter, the Washington Post reports, up 22% from last year. Natural gas users will see a 10% percent increase. On the bright side, forecasters say this may be a mild winter. More »

Matilda Winslow, 76, who buys discounted heating oil with help from the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, poses for a photo in the living room of her home in Dorchester, Mass., Dec. 6, 2007.   (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds)
Eric Myer of Eshenaurs Fuels delivers heating fuel to a home in Harrisburg, Pa. in this Nov. 8, 2007, file photo.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, file)
Kimberly Henderson takes a quick look at her furnace thermostat in the front room of her rented home in Bangor, Maine, Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008.   (AP Photo/Michael C. York)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 2)

Tags

fuel costs  • natural gas  • energy costs  • Federal aid  • heating oil


Loading...

Loading...

Today's Most Popular


Other US Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »