Jersey’s heating costs this winter depend on more than temperatures

The cost of keeping warm this winter in New Jersey will depend on a lot of variables: Where you live, the severity of the season, and of course, what type of fuel you use.

New Jersey Board of Public Utilities President Richard Mroz, says some customers of New Jersey Natural Gas and South Jersey Gas will see price reductions.

"Some will see a slight increase. But overall, across the state, we anticipate and see that the average customer will have fairly stable prices," he said.

"The state of New Jersey has an energy master plan, which is updated every four years or so. The Christie Administration last updated that in 2015. And we have, as an underpinning of the energy master plan, the continuation of support for a diverse portfolio of energy sources, natural gas — natural gas for heating, natural gas for electric — as well as others. That diverse energy mix really helps at the end of the day to keep prices stable in New Jersey."

On the heating oil side, New Jersey Fuel Merchants Association Vice President Eric DeGesero says "it is always hard to make a projection about what is going to happen in the heating season in January, February, when you are sitting in September."

DeGesero says oil prices are 35 cents a gallon higher than they were a year ago at this time.

"However, it is always hard to predict the future, and it is certainly hard to predict the future when the market is not necessarily moored to fundamentals."

Joe Cutter is the afternoon news anchor on New Jersey 101.5

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