Most gas utilities are charging higher supply prices, compared with last month and last year, according to CUB’s review of pricing information filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).
Gas utilities file supply prices–called the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA)–each month with the ICC. Here’s a rundown of what we found.
- Compared with last month, eight of nine major utilities are charging prices that are higher, ranging from about 1.19 percent (Ameren Illinois) to 40.6 percent (Mr. Carmel) higher. One is charging a price that is lower, by about 19.7 percent (Liberty Utilities).
- The prices are much lower than they were during the spike of a few years ago, thankfully, but for six of nine major utilities, they’re up from 2023. Compared with July of last year, prices for those six have increased from 16.7 percent (Ameren) on the low end and a whopping 149.7 percent jump (Illinois Gas) on the high end. Illinois Gas customers are for the fourth straight month suffering a high increase compared with a year earlier: up 59 percent in April, 97 percent in May, 128 percent in June and nearly 150 percent in July. Three utilities are charging lower prices than last year, ranging from a 1.9 percent decrease for MidAmerican, a 7.7 percent reduction for Nicor Gas and a 61.7 percent drop for Liberty Utilities.
Below are the PGAs for July and how they compare with last year.
Ameren Illinois– 47.85 cents per therm (up about 16.7 percent from July 2023)
Consumers Gas– 64.34 cents per therm (up about 69.7 percent from July 2023)
Illinois Gas– 48.03 cents per therm (up about 149.8 percent from July 2023)
Liberty Utilities– 35.31 cents per therm (down about 61.7 percent from July 2023)
MidAmerican Energy– 45.94 cents per therm (down about 1.9 percent from July 2023)
Mt. Carmel– 35.69 cents per therm (up about 59.5 percent from July 2023)
Nicor Gas– 36 cents per therm (down about 7.7 percent from July 2023)
North Shore Gas– 36.39 cents per therm (up about 22.6 percent from July 2023)
Peoples Gas– 35.93 cents per therm (up about 44.8 percent from July 2023)
Note: Your utility is determined by where you live, so you cannot switch from one utility to another.
Under Illinois law, gas utilities are not allowed to profit off supply prices—they pass those costs from gas producers and marketers onto customers with no markup. State regulators annually review the utilities’ gas-management procedures to ensure the companies did a reasonable job with their gas purchases, given market conditions, to hold down costs for consumers as much as possible. Regulators can order refunds if they find the companies were imprudent, but that is a rare event.
A few tips about your gas bill:
- See if you qualify for energy assistance. The application process for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is open until Aug. 15. To apply or learn more, visit www.
helpillinoisfamilies.com or call the Help Illinois Families Assistance Line at 1-833-711-0374. - Keep the lines of communication open with your utility. If you are having trouble affording your gas bills, it is vital that you contact your utility. Ask if you qualify for energy assistance programs; see if you can set up a payment plan to give you a longer time to pay off your bills; and inquire about no or low-cost energy efficiency programs the company offers.
- Beware of alternative supplier rip-offs. If a deal seems too good to be true, there’s a good chance it is. Read our tips. (Note: Only consumers in Northern Illinois have gas choice.)
- Practice energy efficiency at home. For tips and information about helpful energy efficiency programs offered by your utility, visit CUB’s Clean Energy page.
More helpful resources:
- CUB’s Gas page
- Historical prices
- CUB’s reports from January, February, March, April, May. June.
