US Home Heating Costs Set To Surge 17%, Says Energy Group US Home Heating Costs Set To Surge 17%, Says Energy Group Authored by Bryan Jung via The Epoch Times, Winter is coming, and experts are predicting that it will be an expensive one for American households nationwide. The average U.S. household heating bill is expected to increase by 17.2 percent this winter compared to last year, according to a forecast by the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA). Families had already faced higher than average electric bills last winter due to inflation and this year provides no improvement. NEADA assists state agencies under the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, (LIHEAP) in distributing federal assistance to help low-income families pay their utility bills. The energy association expects that the average winter heating bill will increase from $1,025 to $1,202. Heating prices have risen over the past two years to more than 35 percent, the highest rate increase in more than 10 years, according to NEADA data. Lower-Income Households Will Struggle The total cost of heating would increase from $127.9 billion to an estimated $149.9 billion, with lower-income households facing the brunt of the burden. “The rise in home energy costs this winter will put millions of lower-income families [at] risk of falling behind on their energy bills and having no choice but to make difficult decisions between paying for food, medicine and rent,” said Mark Wolfe, executive director of NEADA. “As a result, NEADA sent a letter last week to the Congressional Leadership asking for a supplemental increase in LIHEAP of $5 billion to cover the higher cost of home heating and cooling as a result of [an] increased number of summer heat waves,” Wolfe added.