With a colder, wetter winter in the forecast, firing up the furnace could send a chill down your spine when the bills come in. Energy rates are climbing, leaving people and even charities struggling to keep up. The average cost for heating oil and natural gas is up 27%, nationwide. Electricity has climbed 10% and propane prices have increased 5%. Tim Otness said the temperature in his Everett mobile home drops into the 40s at night. "You just have to think about a lot of things," he said. "You gotta keep your mind off it." A tiny space heater is all Otness has to warm his home. His furnace is broken and he doesn't have the money to repair it. A general contractor of 40 years, Otness would fix it himself, but he can't. At 72, Otness has a bad hip and uses a wheelchair. "It's just about as frustrating as it can be," he said. Otness wears a leather coat indoors and covers himself with blankets, with extra blankets waiting on the floor beside him for when temperatures fall. A blanket covers the sliding glass door to keep as much cold out as possible. "It gets pretty cold at night, so I just pile the blankets on." Otness said. READ THE FULL STORY: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/everett/snohomish-county-cold-winter/281-09360063-8928-4d60-8d79-b0e41e9cb1fa