Feeling sticker shock at your Nicor natural gas bill? I am. Last month’s bill seemed extraordinarily high and this month’s, even worse. Comparing February 2021 to February 2022, my bill more than doubled from $92.78 to $188.34, yet my usage was up by less than 40 cubic feet. I live alone, with the thermostat set at 66 during the day; turned down to 62 when out of the house for longer than an hour; and 55 at night. I close vents and doors in unused rooms.
The price of gas alone (excluding “distribution” and taxes) rose from $46.90 in January 2021 to $122.85! in January 2022 – the highest price for gas in a two-year analysis that can be downloaded from Nicor’s website. December’s gas cost was $98.53; November’s, $91.30; October’s $21.14. The least expensive cost of gas in the two-period period was $2.27 in July 2020.
Have we any recourse? I’m sending this letter to Robyn Gabel, Laura Fine and the Illinois Commerce Commission, which regulates the natural gas industry.
Cynthia Kirk
I agree we need relief from Nocor’s prices. Is some of this gouging?