GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS

The good news is that the price of gas has come down $1 since its high. The bad news is that our cost of natural gas will rise. Even worse, while the rest of the state may see a 30% - 40% hike in their heating bills, we will see a spike of 55%. Aren't we special.
Corning Gas customers to see high bills: Jim Robinson, Corning Natural Gas vice president, said Friday the local gas company was hit with price spikes brought on by supplies being interrupted by recent hurricanes.
As a result, the company was forced to pay for its supply in advance. In previous years, Corning Natural Gas was allowed to pay suppliers on credit for the gas it provided customers. “It had a tremendous impact on our cash flow,” Robinson said. “That's really what it's all about.”

HOMEOWNERS WARM UP TO ALTERNATIVE$: As the cost of fuel soars, homeowners are turning down thermostats, buying electric blankets and heaters and weighing other alternatives — such as stoves that use wood-chip-and-sawdust pellets that resemble rabbit food. Those are hot numbers. "As soon as we get them in, they're off our shelves," said Home Depot spokesman Yancey Casey. Thanks in part to hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the price of staying warm is expected to skyrocket. The U.S. Department of Energy predicts that homeowners who use natural gas will pay at least 46 percent more and those who use heating oil at least 31 percent more.
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Then there's Ed Seale of Stormville, N.Y., who installed a pellet stove three years ago yet found himself on a waiting list last month — for pellets.
And their cost?
Up 150 percent.
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