US predicts lower heating bills this winter
Source: AP-Excite
By JONATHAN FAHEY
NEW YORK (AP) — Heating bills should be lower this winter because the deep freeze that chilled much of the nation last year is unlikely to return.
Last year, persistently low temperatures across the Midwest, South and East forced people to crank up the heat. The high demand jacked up the price of some fuels, especially propane. Heating bills soared.
This year, milder temperatures should reduce homeowners' fuel use, according to the Energy Department's annual prediction of winter heating costs. The price of propane and heating oil should be lower, helping those customers save even more.
"Temperatures are forecast to be warmer than last winter and that means less demand for heat," said Adam Sieminski, administrator of the Energy Department's Energy Information Administration, in a statement.
FULL story at link.
FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2014 file photo, Denver Walker, of Somerset Fuels, makes a heating oil delivery to a home in Jenner Crossroads, Pa. The Energy Department{2019}s annual prediction of winter heating costs released Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2014 says that Americans will pay less because they won{2019}t have to crank up the heat as much. (AP Photo/Tribune-Democrat, John Rucosky, File) MANDATORY CREDIT
Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141007/us--winter_heating_costs-aa7159eb53.html
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leave me my fantasies. 
I will be totally happy with being able to negotiate a contract that is about 50 cents less a gallon than last year. Considering that my tanks take 500 gallons and I need a fill up about 3 times a season, if I can just do two fills for the season I will be doing the happy dance.
After the frigid, bitterly cold, and snow-filled winter last year, many of you are wondering just what this winter might bring. Could it possibly be as bad as last?
According to the 2015 edition of the Farmers’ Almanac, the winter of 2014–15 will see below-normal temperatures for about three-quarters of the nation.
A large zone of very cold temperatures will be found from east of the Continental Divide east to the Appalachians. The most frigid temperatures will be found from the Northern Plains into the Great Lakes. The coldest outbreak of the season will come during the final week of January into the beginning of February, when frigid arctic air drops temperatures across the Northern Plains to perhaps 40 below zero. As the frigid air blows across the Great Lakes, snow showers and squalls will drop heavy amounts of snow to the lee of the Lakes.
Last winter and even this summer has been unreasonably cold for me. I think I have put on the heater more times than I have put on the AC this summer in Omaha. I wish we could trade some of our low temps with some of you guys suffering in heat