U.S.-Iran war may have ‘devastating’ impact on cost to warm homes

For the over 4 million households in the United States who rely on heating oil, the cost to warm their homes this winter may be "devastating," Tik Root writes for Grist. Because of the United States’ war with Iran, heating oil is the most expensive it's ever been. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association predicts that the cost of heating homes in the Northeast could go up 50%, or $878 per household. Vermont and Maine may see a 76% increase. 

“These increases threaten to overwhelm the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, a federal safety net for those who cannot afford to heat or cool their homes. With existing aid buying far less fuel than it did before the war, Republicans and Democrats alike are pressing the Trump administration to release assistance quickly while Congress weighs whether to put billions more into the program. The situation is so dire that the governor of Massachusetts declared a state of emergency on Monday,” Grist reports.

Northeastern residents with oil furnaces may be able to offset the cost by turning to space heaters, but they are less efficient. Burning wood in a fireplace is another option, or weatherizing homes with insulation.