(10/12/06) WOODBURY ? As the winter cold quickly approaches, Long Island residents are debating the pros and cons of oil and natural gas.

Natural gas customers will spend about 10 percent less on home heating this winter, according to federal studies. The studies predict oil heat customers will pay approximately 7 percent more than last winter. KeySpan, Long Island?s natural gas provider, says despite market dips, residents will pay about the same as last year. Smaller oil merchants, meanwhile, claim their service is superior to the larger corporations.

The cost of switching from one heating method to the other is considered very high, ranging from several hundred to several thousand dollars. In either case, energy experts warn that moves should not be based on only one year?s energy bills because oil and gas price trends tend to mimic each other.