Ready for a New England Winter?

Oil Bills expected to top $3,000 for average Mass Households.

According to a UMASS poll released yesterday, residents who heat their home with gas or oil could spend about 30% more, or nearly $1 billion extra this year than last -- a staggering figure which leaves me with one impermeable daunting question: Are we ready?

You can also access the full findings on the UMASS Donahue Institute Website. Among them:

Approximately two-thirds, or 108,870 of the 163,224 burdened households
will experience severe difficulty paying their oil heat bills. Nearly
two-thirds, or 69,595 of these severely burdened households are headed
by persons over the age of 60, including almost 25,000 households
headed by residents who are over the age of 80.

Erin Ailworth covered the report in yesterday's Boston Globe. Beneath the article, readers offered their own ideas for how to prepare for the winter, including:

Plan ahead... " bite the bullet now and get a tank full and have one less to pay for during the cold months."
Start putting aside money if you can. "This is the first year we have an oil fund. We started in April and
hope that there is enough there. We predict it will cost about $4000
for our home this heating season."
"I have adding weather stripping to every window which has helped a lot. A digital thermostat works great too,"
Use a fireplace if you have one.

I'll add one more. If you find yourself in trouble this winter, unable to meet a utility bill or having to make too many sacrifices to keep up with costs, CALL 2-1-1. Similar to 4-1-1 or 9-1-1, 2-1-1 is a free, confidential hotline where you get help or learn about access health and human services to fit your needs. The hotline is open to everyone, whether you are in financial crisis or just need some information about what services are available.

I'd love to hear a few more ideas from our readers about how to cut down on heating costs and prepare a budget for this winter. If you have any thoughts, leave them below.

graph of heating expense

Oil

Submitted by joahn (not verified) on Sat, 12/27/2008 - 2:35pm.

well since gas prices have fallen dramatically, does this effect home heating? If not, I guess I should be bundled up in my new xmas zara clothes

Mass211

Submitted by Paola Ferrer on Wed, 08/13/2008 - 4:56pm.

I wanted to clarify some of the information provided about the hours of operation at Mass211. As of May 1st, 2008, the call center operates 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week.

Also, in response to Meghan's question, Mass211 was officially launched in Massachusetts on April 3, 2007.

paola

NO we are not ready

Submitted by Sharon Brewster on Wed, 08/13/2008 - 11:21am.

Hi Meghan, to answer your question. NO we are not ready. Erin Ailwort's tips are excellent to help us brace ourselves for a challenging winter. Filling up early and starting an oil fund is a great idea! I'd also suggest getting on a flat rate plan before October so oil deliveries and payments are consistent and planned.

I'm very concerned about the households of individuals 60 years or older. I can imagine that it is forcing them to make very difficult decisions--including taking reverse mortgages, selling their homes to move to retirement communities, and even buying food.

This winter I plan to LIVE UNITED by checking on and assisting (through referrals and whatever else I can do) elderly individuals within the community I grew up in.

Mass 2-1-1

Submitted by Meghan Keaney A... on Tue, 08/12/2008 - 11:55pm.

Craig,

Thanks so much for the interest. United Ways across Massachusetts and the Massachusetts Association of Information and Referral Services (MAIRS) publicly launched 211 about a year and a half ago (if anyone can help me remember the exact date, please do).

The call center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am to 8:00pm with the ability to activate 24-7 during times of emergency in the Commonwealth. The point in launching 211 was to streamline the process of getting connected with help.

We continue to try to get the word out about the service and to make it respond to changes in need in our community. As an example, in May we invested an additional $100K to better equip 211 to respond to foreclosure inquiries.

Anything you can do to help us spread the word would be great!

Best,

Meghan

Call 2-1-1

Submitted by Craig @ Notre Dame Education Center, Inc. (not verified) on Tue, 08/12/2008 - 9:03am.

Hello Meghan!
As an extra "benefit" to reading about the rising cost of heating oil prices I was happy to learn about the Call 2-1-1 program. This was my first time hearing about it and I researched it with much interest. Can you share any more information about that service? How long has it been active in Massachusetts? How do folks in need of services hear about this?

more news of concern...

Submitted by Paola Ferrer on Wed, 09/17/2008 - 5:39pm.

Meghan,

Thanks for sharing all this information with your readers. The data and trends presented by all the recent studies about energy costs and usage are frightening, particularly for people already living paycheck to paycheck (and, to boot, here in the Northeast).

Since 1982, the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) has been the most crucial safety net for households living at the lowest income levels (up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level) in helping them meet their most basic energy needs. In light of the skyrocketing energy costs, and the current and projected impact on the working poor, the Senate considered a bill (S.3186) asking for additional funding to support LIHEAP in the amount of $2.5 billion. I just received word from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities that the President has threatened to veto this bill.

I've attached a link to the article, and encourage you to read and comment: http://www.cbpp.org/8-11-08bud.htm

I hope we can reach, in the very least, some compromise or this winter will be one of the hardest we've ever faced.