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The Northern Indiana Public Service Company has announced that natural gas costs for July have decreased by 26.29 percent. According to a statement released on Wednesday, typical residential customers using 50 therms of natural gas should see July bills of $27.81, based on this month’s price per therm of 41.02 cents, compared to June bills of $37.73, based on last month’s price per therm of 57.84 cents. “Actual bill will vary based on customer usage, with the summer months typically being when customers use relatively low amounts of natural gas,” NIPSCO said. Monthly gas costs paid by customers--which represent three-quarters of a customer ’s total bill--are approved by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. “The adjustment each month reflects the fluctuations in the price NIPSCO pays in the marketplace for natural gas,” the statement said. “Those costs are passed through to the customer with no mark-up.”Commodity prices in the market are mainly determined by such factors as supply and demand, weather, and storage levels, the statement said. The current price per therm appears each month on the top right corner of customers’ utility bills. Aside from the gas supply charge, the other components of NIPSCO’s monthly gas statements include service costs for gas delivery and state and local taxes. These service costs, which the IURC also regulates, vary with monthly gas use. For natural gas customers who want consistent monthly payments, NIPSCO’s BudgetPlan allows customers to spread gas costs over an entire year, and the DependaBill program provides a fixed monthly bill with no annual true-up. NIPSCO’s Price Protection Service allows customers to fix or cap their per unit cost of natural gas. And the NIPSCO Choice program gives customers an opportunity to choose an alternative natural gas supplier. Helpful consumer information on natural gas prices and managing utility bills is also available from the Indiana Office of Utility Consumer Counselor. Call toll free at (888) 441-2494 or visit its website at www.in.gov/oucc The IURC may be contacted toll free at (800) 851-4268 or visit its website at www.in.gov/iurc
Posted 7/3/2009 |
