By Somerville Neighborhood News
Contributing Reporter: Karishma Desai

The Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting a colder and snowier winter than normal, while NOAA says we can look forward to warmer season. Winter in New England always puts a strain on heating budgets.

Cubby Oil has been supplying home heating oil to Somerville residents for seventy years. Owner Charlie Uglietto says heating oil prices are moving in the right direction, “Now the state average is around $2.30 a gallon, which is probably a $1.10 to $1.20 down from last year. So certainly I think consumers are going to be saving quite a bit this coming winter from years previous,”

According to the US Energy Information Administration, energy pricing has remained fairly stable recently, with oil prices being considerably lower than last year. While oil-producing countries have been keeping supplies up and prices down, natural gas and propane are down due to an increase in domestic supply.

Even with lower prices, the increased energy use that comes with New England winters has an impact on every budget. Russell Koty, a program manager in charge of residential energy efficiency with the City of Somerville, cited the elderly population as one particularly vulnerable demographic to heating costs. “Typically they’re on a fixed income, and if you’re paying x amount of dollars in the spring and summer months and you’re hit with bigger bills than normal…it can really have an impact on the quality of your life overall,” explained Koty.

Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) works with the elderly population and other at-risk populations, such as low-income households and residents with limited English language skills. CAAS connects their clients to organizations and resources that can help with heating costs through weatherization and fuel assistance programs, available through the cities of Somerville and Cambridge.

Somerville has partnered with Cambridge Fuel Assistance to provide financial support to income-eligible residents, which consist of families and individuals making up to 60% of the state median income. The program can deal directly with energy suppliers or reimburse the heat portion of rent directly to participants.

Sam Davidson-Weiss, a housing advocate at CAAS encourages everyone to look at the guidelines, “It’s a relatively high income limit. So people should know a lot of people are eligible for fuel assistance and can get hundreds of dollars.”

Energy efficiency and weatherization are also important factors in heat affordability. Mass Save is a statewide program that offers free home energy audits, regardless of income. The City of Somerville has partnered with Next Step Living, a home performance contractor under the Mass Save program to offer free energy audits and weatherization improvements.

During an audit, the assessor will install low-flow showerheads, put in CFL lightbulbs and offer low-cost energy saving tips. Insulation and heating system updates are also outlined. These improvements come with generous subsidies.

Getting owners to take advantage of these more significant updates can be challenge in Somerville, where only a third of the residents are homeowners. Russell Koty recognizes the disconnect, “There are a couple of different barriers that can affect weatherization work. One that we’re working hard to work through is a split incentive, where we have tenants occupying a home and the homeowner lives elsewhere…There really isn’t an incentive there to make improvements that a tenant may greatly benefit from…We’re trying to create a platform to address this market segment.”

A warmer than average November has given residents a chance to get ahead of the coming winter. There’s still time to take advantage of the resources available to Somerville residents.

For more information on fuel assistance, contact Cambridge Fuel Assistance at 617-349-6252 or visit cambridgema.gov and go to the human services page. You can schedule a home energy assessment at nextstepliving.com or contact Russell Koty at 617-625-6600 or by email at rkoty@somervillema.gov for more information.