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Higher Heating Bills Expected In Peekskill

PEEKSKILL, N.Y. – With this winter shaping up to be less balmy then last year's, Peekskill residents can expect higher monthly heating bills.

New York residents are on pace to almost double their heating fuel usage compared to last year.

New York residents are on pace to almost double their heating fuel usage compared to last year.

Photo Credit: NOAA National Climate Data Center

For those using home heating oil, AAA spokesman Robert Sinclair said monthly bills would be similar if not for the expected colder winter.

Crude oil, which makes up between 60 to 70 percent of one gallon of heating oil, is about $93 per barrel. That's down from a peak of $110 a barrel, Sinclair said.

"If things remain as they are right now — demand down, mild weather, inventory up and crude oil prices down — it will bode well for home heating bills this year," he said.

However, colder weather could create competition for crude between heating oil and gasoline, resulting in  higher prices, Sinclair added.

David DeSilva, president of Nu Way Fuel & Service, said that under Peekskill's Discount Heating Oil Plan, prices range between $3.69 and $3.79 per gallon, he said.

Peekskill homes typically get between 700 and 1,100 gallons of heating oil delivered per year, and use about half of that supply from December to February.

DeSilva said current monthly bills would be almost identical to last year's if weather conditions were equal. 

“I mean it’s definitely colder than last year,” DeSilva said. “It’s busier than last year.”.

Those who use natural gas to heat their homes will also see a slight increase in their bills.

Thanks to a natural gas boom, costs are their lowest in a decade. But delivery costs for Con Edison, which provides natural gas to Yorktown homes, have increased by 3.4 percent from last year, bringing the average residential bill to about $348 a month, Con Edison Spokesman Allan Drury said. That's $11 higher than last year for the months of November through March.

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