There are a number of factors that determine how high or low your energy bills will be this winter in Northern Colorado. You don’t need an HVAC contractor if you’re in Loveland, Colorado to tell you that the weather is a prime consideration. The price of heating fuel – whether you use natural gas, electricity or heating oil – also factors into the price. And, of course, the age and efficiency of your furnace and HVAC system can play a big role in determining how much your family pays for heating this winter.
There’s good news this year. According the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), winter energy bills in the United States are likely to be lower than last year’s.
“EIA expects households that primarily use electricity or natural gas as their heating source to spend slightly less than last winter, households that use heating oil to spend 4% less, and households that use propane to spend 15% less. Only natural gas bills in the South are likely to rise significantly, by about 4%, primarily as a result of higher regional natural gas prices. EIA’s forecast of winter heating expenditures are based on fuel price and consumption forecasts from EIA and weather forecasts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).”
Heating Fuels
In Colorado and a majority of other states, natural gas is the most prevalent heating fuel, according to the EIA. Washington and Oregon are the only western states that rely largely on electricity to heat homes. Electricity is also predominantly used to heat homes in the south. Only a handful of states in New England still use heating oil to fuel the majority of homes.
“Heating oil is much more common in the Northeast than in other regions and is the most prevalent primary heating fuel in four Northeastern states,” the EIA says. “Propane is more common in the Midwest, but it is not the most prevalent heating fuel in any state.”
The experienced technicians at NoCo Air Experts are a lot like you. We go home at the end of the day from work to be with our families and relax. At some point, most of us – whether it’s a furnace repair specialist or a member of the office staff – will check the weather forecast and maybe adjust the thermostat.
And like you, all of us at NoCo Air Experts want to keep our energy bills low. We know we can’t control the weather, but we can control the heating systems in our homes. If you are concerned about the cost of running your existing furnace in Larimer or Weld County, a simple repair might be enough to lower your costs. Call us at 970-584-9288 for more information or for a free estimate.