NEW YORK - A warm winter in the United States has eased some of the pain for households facing record prices for natural gas and heating oil this year, the US government said Tuesday.
The average residence using natural gas as a heating fuel this winter will end up paying about 17 percent more than last year, or $127 - a sharp jump but not nearly as bad as the 48 percent spike predicted at the start of the season.
The reprieve comes as lower demand for fuel in the key heating regions of the country countered the record surge in energy prices.
"Heating fuel demand has been down this winter across fuels and regions due to the relatively warm overall weather conditions," the Energy Information Administration said Tuesday in a monthly report.
Households using heating oil will pay about $187 more this winter, or 16 percent, while those using electricity will pay $47 more, or 7 percent, the EIA said.
At the start of the winter, the EIA had predicted homes using heating oil would pay 30 percent more this year, while those using electricity would pay 5 percent more.
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
