Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
In fact, some forecasts suggest the cost could rise by 7.6% this winter.
In November, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a short-term outlook showing that heating the home this winter could become an expensive affair.
According to Rinnovabili, the agency estimated that the price of natural gas in 2026 would increase by 16% compared with 2025.
Converted into U.S. dollars, some estimates suggest that the average cost of heating a home will be USD 976 this winter — a 7.6% increase.
An analysis by the Century Foundation and Protect Borrowers, published in November 2025, showed that the average monthly energy bill in the U.S. has increased by 35% from March 2022 to June 2025 — from USD 196 to USD 265.
That increase is nearly three times the overall inflation rate for the same period.
So there is money to be saved by trying to heat the home intelligently — but where should you even begin?
Four small changes with a big impact
Turn down the thermostat
According to British Gas, turning down your thermostat by a single degree Celsius (approximately 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) could help you save up to 10% on your energy bill.
Others suggest that you can save around 5% on your energy bill for every degree you lower your thermostat.
Ventilate smartly
You need to ventilate the house even when it’s freezing outside, but you should do so intelligently. Fully ventilate the house two to three times a day, but only for five to ten minutes each time. That way, you get fresh air without losing too much heat. Feel free to turn down the heating in the room while doing so, so the radiator doesn’t increase the heat because it detects that the room is cold.
Set the thermostats to the same level
If you turn down the heat in one room, the heaters in adjacent rooms will work harder to compensate for the lack of heat — even if the door to the colder room is closed.
Take shorter showers
We know: a long, hot shower is wonderful, but it is an expensive way to treat yourself.
A large part of your energy bill (upwards of 25%) goes toward heating water, so by shortening your daily shower, you can easily save hundreds of dollars over the course of a year.
Sources: Century Foundation, Energy Information Administration, Rinnovabili, British Gas
