Illinois Home Heating Cost Guide

Home heating costs in Illinois are rising, adding to the financial burden of residents in West Chicago and beyond. With experts saying the average family using natural gas or heating oil can expect to pay more than $1,000 in heating costs this year, finding ways to save during Illinois’ notoriously brutal winter months is imperative. 

Heating Costs Rising in Illinois

What’s causing the spike in the state’s heating costs? Two reasons are:

• Highly aggressive spending by gas utilities, which, in turn, has increased delivery charges. 
• Supply prices and heating prices often go through cyclical price spikes. An extreme cold snap sparked the current rise in 2021, resulting in record-low temperatures across the country. Texas and other southern-based natural gas pipelines and wellheads froze, limiting supply as heating demands increased.

For the 80% of households that depend on natural gas to heat their homes, it’s been the most expensive cold season in nearly 15 years. And those who paid hundreds of dollars above average during the winter of 2021-2022 might see similar increases this year.

Other factors affecting prices include:

• An increase in exports to other parts of the world
• Less gas exploration and well construction
• Growing demand for natural gas to generate electricity in the summer
• Disruptions in gas supply caused by the war in Ukraine

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How To Keep Your Heating Costs Low

As prices continue to rise, consumers must find ways to keep costs down. Illinois offers energy assistance for those who can’t afford to pay their heating bills, which is available until May 31, 2023. You can also contact your utility company to see if you qualify for any energy assistance programs it offers or to set up a payment plan.

Practicing energy efficiency at home is the best way to keep your heating costs low. You can do this by:

• Don’t overwork your heating system: To minimize how often your heater runs, let the sunlight come in during the day, but close curtains and blinds when the sun goes down. And make sure registers, radiators, air returns, and baseboards are cleared of any obstructions that could block dust flow.
• Reduce drafts: Weatherizing your doors and windows with weatherstripping, caulk, and door sweeps is a great place to start. Consider installing window film or other insulated window treatments. Finally, seal recessed lights, basements, and electrical boxes.
• Clean or replace filters: Dirty or non-functioning filters do nothing but drain money from your wallet. Check filters every month and clean or replace them as needed.
• Switch the ceiling fan’s direction: Fans should rotate clockwise in the winter at the slowest speed. This helps the fan’s blades pull cold air up and push warm air down toward the living area. Combined with an appropriate thermostat setting, this tip could save up to 15% on your winter bills!
• Set your thermostat to 68 degrees: According to ENERGY STAR®, a setting of 68 degrees when people are home and awake offers the ideal balance of comfort and energy efficiency. During sleeping hours, turn the temperature down by seven to 10 degrees, but never go below 55 degrees, as it could cause your pipes to freeze.

Following these tips can go a long way to making your West Chicago home’s heating usage more efficient.

Choose Blue Frost for Heating Services

Blue Frost Heating & Cooling can help you get the most efficiency out of your home’s heating system this winter. Our heating maintenance, repair, and installation services are designed to warm your house comfortably without hurting your wallet. 

Contact us online for friendly, quality service, or call today at (630) 444-0860.