With the caveat that the E.I.A. is expecting a milder winter throughout the nation for this year the number breakdowns are as follows:

Type:          Avg. Expected Cost     % Change          Expected $ Savings

Propane          $1,667                       – 14%                       $280

Natural Gas     $ 783                         – 12%                       $60 – $80

Heating Oil      $1,821                       – 2%                         $40 – $60

Electricity        $933                         – 2%                          $20

Statistics released also sited that an estimated 8 million homes in the Northeast primarily use heating oil, while Midwestern households primarily use natural gas and the South and Pacific Northwest depend heavily upon electricity for their heating.

The hefty decline in natural gas pricing is due primarily by an expected 3.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in storage by the end of October. The projected price this year for natural gas is set at $2.64 per gallon verses $2.66 last year while the price two winters ago was a whopping $3.31 per gallon.

Some other interesting numbers stood out from their report. 39 million homes or 35% of U.S. households heat with electricity; approximately 8 million homes use heating oil while fully 50% of homes in America use natural gas with seven out of 10 homes in the Midwest using natural gas.

The highest growth rate among methods of heating is with electricity which is growing at an annual rate of 2.5% per year. Realizing the poorest savings for this upcoming winter is derived through that type of heating, does give pause to ponder. Does the cleanliness of electricity warrant the current expected price savings on usage this year? Although; being the second cheapest form of heating could represent an offset. A logical assumption that with the highest growth rate will come more demand and price increases in the future.

Arguments can be made for each of the methods of heating even when the numbers don’t support the arguments. Esoteric, philosophical, psychological, comfort and needs reasoning have to be applied. Add in the cost of conversion or remodeling of your current heating system and the effort may not justify the choice in the long run. That’s the quandary the consumer faces. One year’s numbers don’t translate necessarily to a reliable trend for the next five to ten years.

One trend the E.I.A. noted was expectancy for the overall average price for a gallon of gasoline to rise by .18 to $2.62 for 2010.

We find ourselves awash with news articles currently suggesting that the U.S. dollar might not be the single method of payment for Arab oil in the future, with avid denial coming from Saudi Arabia. So, we all might as well enjoy the respite from the higher heating costs while simply wondering what the future may bring.

The report does provide a guideline and measurement for comparison for the individual consumer.

Energy Information Agency Heating Cost Projections Optimistic for US Consumers in 2009 was created by and is property of American Consumer News.

You can pickup the Honda Civic GX for about $25,000, which is about $7,500 more than the standard Civic costs, but it might be worth it. The $7,500 price difference drops down to $3,500 when you factor in the $4,000 federal tax credit that you will receive for purchasing this natural-gas powered vehicle. The real savings come in when you consider the cost of operating the vehicle on a per mile basis. You end up spending the equivalent of about $1.20 to go the same distance as 1 gallon of gasoline would.

Instead of taking your vehicle to a traditional gas-station to fill up, you would have to take your vehicle to a specially fitted station that’s equipped to fill natural gas vehicles. There are many of these stations located in California and in New England, but you might have trouble finding a station to fill up at in other parts of the country. You’ll want to do some research and figure out if there’s a station that you can reasonably fill up at before your home before you make the leap and purchase a natural gas powered vehicle.

Even if there’s no station for you to fill up your vehicle with, there’s the potential that you can still make use of a natural-gas powered vehicle. There’s a device called a “Phill” that will hook into your existing natural gas line and allow you to fill up your natural gas powered vehicle at home. You can get more information about that product at www.myphill.com.

This vehicle is a good option if you need a vehicle for driving to work and around your locality, but you likely wouldn’t want to take it on trips. If you’re in an unfamiliar area, it would be very difficult to plan out stops to fuel up your vehicle. You definitely won’t want it as the only vehicle in your family, but it’s something to consider

Honda’s Civic GX: A Vehicle Powered by Natural Gas was created by and is property of American Consumer News.