Mid-Missourians will likely pay more to heat their home this winter
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect Boone Electric rates.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Cranking up the heat this winter will likely drive up the cost of monthly utility bills more than last year.
The National Energy Assistance Directors Association estimates heating expenses will jump 10.5% this winter and reports for Northeast and Midwest states -- an $889 to $982 increase.
The association found those who use electricity to warm their home will likely pay the most, seeing a 13.6% increase on their bill.
Propane users will see a 7.3% jump and natural gas users will see a 7.2% increase.
City of Columbia Utilities spokesperson Matt Nestor said the average price increase comes down to a number of factors.
"The size of the home makes a difference, the number of people in the home makes a difference, the weather outside makes a difference," Nestor said.
Last year, the City of Columbia raised a standard charge to $22 per month from $16.31 and added a Power Cost Adjustment. The PCA accommodates changes in power cost by looking monthly at each kilowatt-hour of energy used.
According to the City of Columbia website, in the non-summer months of October through May, users will pay 8 cents to 12 cents per kilowatt hour.
"It gives us a little bit if fuel prices go up we can recoup that in the billing process, if there is a lot of congestion then that will cause our prices to go up," Nestor said.
After a rate increase last year, Boone Electric customers who use 1,110 kilowatt-hours per month of gas heat were expected to see an increase of approximately $190 a year. Average members who have electric will see their rates increase even more-- an average of around $235 per year.
Boone Electric spokesperson Zach Smith said when warming your home it's best to keep in mind that the higher temperatures
"They push it from 76 to 78 [degrees] and think it's gonna get warmer faster, it's not going to change how fast it will warm up the air that's just going to change the temperature of when it turns itself off," Smith said.
Smith encourages Boone Electric customers who want to save money on their electric bills to sign up for the company's EVolve time-of-use system.
"The more electricity you use in the off-peak or the super off-peak that actually cost you less money," Smith said. "The typical peak for Boone Electric Cooperative is kinda right in the 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. window is when most people are getting home from work and turning on the oven, so a lot of the electricity used is concentrated in that window so the more people can use their electricity outside of that window we charge you less money."
Overall to save on your monthly bill it will depend on your usage.
To save money you can:
- Adjust your thermostat
- Keep usage to a minimum during peak hours of the day
- Clean or replace HVAC or furnace filters
- Make sure your vents are not covered
- Weatherize your home
Get more winter weather stories in the ABC 17 Stormtrack Winter Weather Special airing Nov. 22.
