DOVER, DE- With another blast of bitter cold settling over Delmarva, neighbors are feeling the strain of rising heating costs. While officials say keeping homes warm can be expensive, they stress it's essential during extreme temperatures to prevent serious damage—and share steps to help keep costs down.
Forecasters say a fast-moving system could bring light snow Friday night, followed by strong winds and dangerously low wind chills through the weekend. Gusts may top 50 miles per hour Saturday, with wind chills dropping below zero and nearing 10 degrees below zero by early Sunday.
After weeks of winter weather, Dover neighbor Cody Roos said the prolonged cold is becoming more frustrating than surprising.
"With the low temperatures, it's all, you know, it's been around for a long time, and it's kind of a nuisance now."
Dover neighbor Nicolette Attarian-Kimber said while the cold can be frustrating, the bigger impact is how quickly heating bills rise during prolonged winter weather.
"During this season, the heat bill is higher, and the gas bill is higher because we do have gas. So it's just like it gets expensive, especially in today's economy."
Despite the cost, City of Dover Electric Director Paul Waddell said maintaining heat is critical to avoid significant damage during prolonged cold temperatures.
"If you don't heat your house, obviously, you run the risk of your pipes freezing. And that just opens it up for a whole bunch more problems, not only electrical, but structurally. So keep the heat on."
Even though the extreme cold is expected to be short-lived, Attarian-Kimber said she is already taking steps to keep her home warm.
"We always just make sure sometimes we put like a little blanket near the door just to make sure we're keeping all of our heat, and it's not going outside."
Waddell said while higher heating bills are often unavoidable in severe winter weather, small changes at home can still make a meaningful difference in overall energy costs.
"Lowering your thermostat settings, even one degree or two degrees, could have a pretty good impact on your bill. If you have a smart thermostat or you're in the market for one, get it installed and you'll be able to program it."
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