Oh, summer so sad to see you go, as always it seemed way too short. Here we sit in fall which can seem to go buy equally as fast. Living in the Northland we all know that winter is inevitable and with that can come lots of snow and bitterly cold temperatures, and for some trying to maintain a warm home can be a struggle.

On top of that this year heating costs are expected to rise as does inflation really putting many households in quite a pinch. For those who heat their homes with natural gas, some estimates show the price could skyrocket for the second year in a row. Some saying as high as 35%.

According to the Old Farmers Almanac:

Winter temperatures will be below normal, with the coldest periods in late November, early December, early and late January, and mid-February. Precipitation and snowfall will be below normal in the east and above normal in the west. The snowiest periods will be in late November, early and late December, and early and late March.

Tammy Stauffer with Community Action Partnership Hennepin County said to FOX21: "This year could definitely be worse [than last year] because we no longer have the COVID funds." She went on to say the heating assistance program has only been taking applications for the last 2 weeks and they have already received over 3,000 applications.

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Technician Nate Stoll admits he can't control the price of natural gas but does recommend some tips to help cut heating costs. First off he recommends you fire up your furnace before temperatures get too cold. That way you can find out of there is anything amiss with your furnace before things start to get really busy. Make sure to change the filters and schedule regular maintenance yearly to keep your furnace running efficiently.

If you or someone you know is struggling to pay your heating bills get more information about the Minnesota energy assistance program.

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