According to the Wall Street Journal, record heating-oil prices could mean higher heating bills, especially for the 8 million U.S. households that rely on heating oil to run their furnaces each winter. This prediction comes in the wake of last week’s 40 percent increase in heating-oil futures, which reached a record price of $2.36 a gallon. Possible reasons for the price hike include the following:

• Heating oil is refined from crude oil, which has also hit a record price in recent weeks.
• Global conditions, such as political unrest in Nigeria and Iraq, lift the price of crude oil.
• Prices fluctuate when Wall Street investors bet on higher energy prices.
• Supplies of refined products have become historically tight as developing countries like China and India reach the economic capacity to absorb more.

To further aggravate the rising cost of heating-oil, weather forecasters predict that this winter will be colder than last year’s.

As a homeowner, how do you protect yourself from nasty heating bills? There’s always conservation, as well as purchasing energy-efficient furnaces. Then, let’s not forget the alternative of solar heating, which uses the most powerful source of heat available: the sun. Aside from requiring initial equipment costs that eventually pay for themselves in savings, solar energy happens to be 100% free. As solar heating systems, passive or active, become more reliable, efficient, and cost-effective, they are also becoming increasingly accessible to the average consumer.

Think it’s time for you to go solar?

Related Blogs:

On a Scale of One to Green: How to Rate Your Home’s Energy Efficiency Level
Autumn Remodeling: Preparing Your Home for a Safe, Cozy Winter
Preparing Your Home for a Winter Indoors, Part II