Prepare for a long, cold winter

Folk wisdom has it that a hot summer like we've had here in Southeastern PA is likely to be followed by an extra-cold winter. Unfortunate, then, that it appears that local utility PGW is looking for a hefty rate hike (either 19% (Inq) or 29% (DN), depending on your math) in response to rising wholesale prices. Young Philly Politics points out that this raises the importance of assistance to low-income households (through a program melifluously named LIHEAP), so that nobody freezes to death due to a shortage of funds.