Home heating costs could hit Kingston, Ont. residents’ pocketbooks this winter

The pain at the pump is expected to shift to a headache at home this winter as the cost of heating will be be higher whether you use oil, natural gas, propane or electricity.

“Our finances have just been a little more tight these days. We’re coming back from COVID and in general with the heating bill now being turned on we’re all a little bit more concerned because I mean I see my bill going up,” said Kingston resident Shawnna Hollington.

“I’ve always been concerned about the winter time bills because I never had the equal billing and we’ve always had the fluctuations, so one of the things I’ve always tried to do was look at the weather stripping, the windows,” added fellow Kingston resident Dave Nicholson.

Both are good steps to reducing heat loss according to Caro Casista, the conservation coordinator at Utilities Kingston.

The municipal utility provider is estimating that electricity rates could go up three per cent and natural gas could increase by a whopping 24 per cent on your monthly bill this year over last.

Casista says a good first step is arranging a home energy audit.

“And kind of determine where your heat loss and electrical loss is occurring,” Casista told Global News.

Ways of reducing heating costs could include big steps like installing a new, high-efficiency furnace to little things, like sealing up your windows better or even insulating wall plugs and light switches.

Casista says heat loss at those points is common in older homes. “They’re just a quick insulation where you take off the cap here and then you’ll actually be able to put the insulation right in,” he said.

A full list of heat-saving options can be found on the Utilities Kingston website and staff are available to help with a people find options that will hopefully help keep a little more money in your pocket instead of it flying out your chimney.