On Wednesday, the Energy Information Administration released the 2011 Winter Fuels Outlook. The Winter Fuels Outlook projects the average cost of home heating using heating oil, natural gas, propane, and electricity, based upon fuel prices and temperature forecasts for the winter.

EIA projects residential heating oil prices to average $3.71 per gallon during the winter season, 33 cents per gallon more than last winter, and the highest average winter price on record. The EIA projects heating costs to rise for most natural gas and propane users, while many electric heat users will see a small decrease from last year’s costs. It should be noted that these projections vary from region to region.

Visit the EIA website to access the full Short Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook.