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Winter gas bills should stay low in Indiana

Updated: Wednesday, 10 Oct 2012, 12:50 PM EDT
Published : Wednesday, 10 Oct 2012, 12:50 PM EDT

INDIANA (WLFI) - Vectren Energy customers may see natural gas bills as much as 5 percent lower than last winter’s numbers.

The company announced Wednesday that the gas supply in the U.S. means lower natural gas costs, especially considering the low-billing pattern over the last three years.

Vectren says these low costs haven’t been seen since 2001, and that bill amounts have gone down by almost 40 percent since the winter of 2008-2009.

“Given gas costs represent about 60 percent of winter bills, these lower prices are helping keep bill amounts down,” Vectren Energy Delivery of Indiana President Brad Ellsworth said. “As such, natural gas has continued to be the most cost-effective fuel source for home heating, especially when customers choose high efficiency furnaces. Moreover, the price of gas is expected to remain relatively stable for years to come.”

Based on expected costs and normal winter weather projections, customers can expect to pay roughly $515 over the five-month heating season from November through March. That’s based on the average household consumption of about 630 therms.

Of course, bills will vary depending on the size and age of the home, number of gas appliances, thermostat settings and levels of insulation.

Vectren said last winter was very mild, so the average customer’s usage was only 510 therms. That means bill amounts were much lower than originally forecasted.

“Despite the very positive outlook for natural gas bills, customers should still implement energy efficiency measures and find ways to use less natural gas to lower bills even further,” Ellsworth said. “Investing in high-efficiency appliances, implementing low-cost energy efficiency measures and upgrading insulation are still the right steps to undertake.”

Vectren has plenty of options for you to manage your energy bills.

You can find help on rebates and bills at Vectren ’s website.

You can also find energy-efficiency tips at Vectren’s Live Smart website.

Plus, if you want to help those less fortunate with their energy bills this winter, head to Share the Warmth ’s website.