Higher Heating Bills Poised to Hit U.S. Households This Winter

High fuel prices have been a big driver of inflation, pumping up the cost of summer travel and air conditioning, and federal energy forecasters say that staying warm this winter will be more expensive as well.

Americans should expect bigger home-heating bills compared with last winter, thanks to higher prices for natural gas, heating oil, propane and electricity as well as slightly colder weather, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its seasonal outlook.