BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — National Fuel says its residential customers can expect to spend less to heat their homes this winter.
The company projects the typical residential customer will spend about $742 on natural gas for heating this winter, down nearly 5% from last winter’s average of $780.
That amounts to a projected savings of about $38 over the course of the winter.
The forecast comes as Western New York got its first taste of colder weather over the weekend, with temperatures falling below seasonal averages.
WATCH: National Fuel projects lower heating costs for customers this winter
National Fuel Vice President Brian Welsch told 7 News Monday that two factors are behind the lower projection: last winter's colder weather and lower natural gas prices.
"It's really due to a couple of reasons. One is last winter it was colder than what we see on average here, so we would expect the average usage to be down versus last year. But the other big thing is that commodity prices, natural gas prices, are lower compared to last year," Welsch said. "That's really a function of the record U.S. natural gas production that's being produced in neighboring states, and record storage levels as we head into the wintertime."
Even with the projected savings, Welsch emphasized that assistance is available for customers who may have difficulty paying their heating bills.
That includes the Home Energy Assistance Program, or HEAP, which opens for applications on Nov. 2.
