WASHINGTON — With oil prices plummeting, the government says people will get a break this winter in heating costs. Next year’s gasoline prices should average a little under $2.40 a gallon.
The Energy Information Administration revised its short-term energy outlook Wednesday to reflect the drastic drop in crude-oil prices. It said people using fuel oil will still pay on average nearly $1,700 this winter, a 13 percent increase over last winter. But that’s nearly $700 less than what was projected a month ago.
Households that heat by natural gas will pay only slightly more than last year — about $890 for the October-through-March heating season.
The agency projects gasoline prices at the pump will average $2.37 a gallon next year, compared with $2.22 a gallon last week. The Associated Press
