Fuel Bills May Shrink This Winter

The rates we pay to heat our homes this winter will probably be lower than last year, according to the latest forecast from the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration.

Their forecast for the October-December quarter compared to last year:
Natural gas...Down 19.88 percent.
Heating oil.....Down 6.29 percent
Electricity.......No change.

And, for the January-March quarter of 2010:
Natural gas...Up a scant 0.19 percent from the Oct.-Dec. quarter forecast, but down 12.3 percent from the first three months of 2009.
Heating oil.....Up 2.24 percent from Oct.-Dec., and 11.38 percent higher than during the first three months of '09.
Electricity......Down 4.39 percent from Oct.-Dec., and 2.68 percent lower than during the first three months of '09.