County-by-County Data Shows Nearly 3 Million Pennsylvanians Already Save Money by Heating Homes with Natural Gas; 430,000 Have Benefited from Credit
Natural Gas Approximately 70% Cheaper than Heating Oil or Electric Heat - Extending Tax Credit Will Help More Pennsylvanians Convert
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) today called on Congress to extend the Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credit that is helping Pennsylvanians convert their homes to natural gas. The tax credit, which expires at the end of the year, puts $500 in the pockets of working families when they convert their home to natural gas or install other energy efficiency measures.
Senator Casey released county-by-county data showing that 3 million Pennsylvanians are already using natural gas and said that more will be able to convert if Congress extends this tax credit. In 2009, the last year that data is available, 430,000 Pennsylvanians took advantage of the tax credit, resulting in $350 million more dollars in the pockets of working families.
“Extending this tax credit will be a win-win for Pennsylvania -- in the short term it will put money into the pockets of working families, and in the long term it will help our families reduce their energy costs,” Senator Casey said. “As the price of heating oil goes up, more and more Pennsylvanians are turning to natural gas, so extending this tax credit will help more families make the conversion. Congress should do it right away.”
In 2004, Congress created the Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credit to help Americans who were looking to convert their homes to more efficient sources of energy. In Pennsylvania, many working families have used the tax credit to heat their homes with natural gas. Converting to natural gas has been a major saver for Pennsylvania’s families - currently natural gas is approximately 70% cheaper than heating oil or electric heat.
Today, Senator Casey called on Congress to extend the Residential Energy Efficiency Tax Credit which will help Pennsylvanians transition to natural gas -- putting $500 back in their pockets and reducing their heating bills over the long term.
Natural gas usage in Pennsylvania:
*Data provided by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
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