By Danielle Rexrode
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

There’s good news this winter if you heat your home with natural gas. Analysts say you can expect to pay 13 percent less than you did on your home heating bills last year. But not all homeowners will get off that easy.

People who heat their homes with oil can expect to pay about 6 percent more according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the government agency that tracks energy statistics. And households who heat primarily with electricity can expect to pay 7 percent more.

“The greatest beneficiaries will be those who use natural gas, because prices went up 29 percent last year and have since fallen back,” says Guy Caruso, administrator for the EIA. “As always, the uncertainty is substantial and significantly colder temperatures could lead to substantially greater expenditures,” he says.

So if you’re one of the unlucky ones who heat your home with electric or oil what can you do to ease the strain on your pocket from higher energy bills this winter?

If you lived at Sedgebrook, an Erickson community located in Lincolnshire, you would enjoy a comprehensive monthly service package that replaces the dozens of expenses you incur in your house every month, including your gas and electric bill. So even when utility costs are on the rise your monthly service package remains constant throughout the long, cold winter months.

Protecting Your Interests
“People living at Sedgebrook rest assured knowing that regardless of changes in heating prices, their monthly service package already has it covered,” says Sedgebrook Retirement Counselor Tracy Dellaria. “As a result, they can plan their budgets with confidence and peace of mind.”