When Alex Santangelo looked over last month’s gas bill, her and her four roommates saw a larger number than they expected. 

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    “The bill wasn’t crazy, but we definitely were like ‘okay, we’ll just wear sweatshirts instead of jacking up the heat like we used to,’” says Santangelo.

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    Santangelo’s household isn’t the only one experiencing an increase in gas costs. According to National Grid spokesperson Jared Paventi, customers can expect a 31% increase in their bills. The cause is a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and the global prices increasing. Electricity prices are expected to stay the same, as well as National Grid’s $284 delivery fee. 

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    “Since businesses are getting back into offices, demand has increased. There’s a lot of entities all fighting for the same finite supplies, and we haven't seen any budging in the production space to see that this will be resolved anytime in the near future.”

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    Paventi continued, saying National Grid’s prices reflect the increase in the market, and those prices then show to the customer without a price markup. 

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    National Grid’s Energy Affordability Program and New York’s Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) have both seen an increase in people applying for aid, says Paventi. These programs offer a monthly credit or federal grants to eligible families. 

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    For students like Santangelo who live off campus, the change is noticeable. However, Ben Tupper, an off-campus housing landlord for much of the Syracuse University student population, says there’s never been a case of a student having to move out or change leases due to being unable to afford the gas bill. 

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    “No one has ever become homeless because they couldn’t afford it. It’s unfortunate, but it’s manageable,” says Tupper. 

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    According to a recent Syracuse.com article, across five months, the average National Grid customer will see a $155 increase in their total heating bill. 

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    Gasoline and crude oil prices have ebbed and flowed in the past 2 decades, reaching record highs in 2008 due to global demand, particularly in growing countries within Latin America and the Middle East. Natural disasters that disrupt production can also affect the availability of natural gas. Hurricanes by the Gulf Coast of Mexico, for example, can wreak havoc on supply as several oil rigs are based there. 

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    “Some of what these hurricanes like Hurricane Ida do is stop production and once it starts again, it never bounces back to make up for the time that was lost, and that affects current supply even seven and eight months later.”

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     Paventi continued, saying halted production forces producers to tap into supply stored for winter usage, thus increasing prices. 

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    Tupper says that he can only recall one other time gas prices increased dramatically, when there was a natural disaster near Texas a couple years ago. To protect students from expensive gas bills, Tupper says he recommends wearing more layers, and to put things in perspective. 

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    “I always ask students, like, how much money did you spend on alcohol or food this month? It’s always more, and it helps them realize the bill really isn’t that much.”