Natural gas users in the Minnesota Energy Resources delivery service area are facing the highest prices in history, the utility said, warning customers the winter heating season could be expensive.
Natural gas prices for July are $1.48 per therm for Minnesota Energy customers, compared to a per therm charge of 91 cents for July 2007. As a distribution company, Minnesota Energy Resources passes along the costs of buying gas to its customers without markup. While prices fluctuate month-to-month, the utility forecasts they will remain higher than last year heading into fall and winter.
Consumer attention currently focused at the gasoline pump will dramatically shift to home heating bills.
"As summer sets in, customers are not thinking about heating their homes this winter, but they should," company spokesman Ann Carlon said. "It is critical that we do as much as we can to educate and arm customers with tools and information that will help them manage their energy usage and bills year-round."
She said customers should start thinking about and planning their energy usage now. Energy conservation is the primary way to reduce energy usage and the company's Web site, www.minnesotaenergyresources.com , has a section which provides tips and ideas to increase energy efficiency at little or no cost.
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The natural gas delivery company is urging customers to take conservation measures, such as setting thermostats lower, caulking doors and windows and insulating. Minnesota Energy encourages customers to enroll in the budget plan, which spreads natural gas costs in even payments over the entire year, rather than concentrating them during the cold-weather months.
For energy assistance, contact your local CAP agency or Salvation Army. Contact information is listed on the Web site.
"Our goal is to reach our customers across Minnesota and educate them about rising natural gas prices and what they can do to better manage their energy use and bills," said Carlon. "While the power to control the actual cost of commodities such as natural gas is out of our hands, the power to manage energy usage is totally within our control and an important way to help lower our bills."
Minnesota Energy Resources, the natural gas delivery company, recognizes this critical issue and offers these suggestions:
Conserve
Energy conservation is the primary way to reduce energy usage and bills. The company's newly designed Web site has a section which provides tips and ideas to increase energy efficiency at little or no cost. www.minnesotaenergyresources.com
Some quick and easy tips to conserve energy include:
- Raise the thermostat in the summer, lower it in the winter
- Close curtains and blinds during the day to keep rooms cooler in the summer, open them during the winter to let in warm sun rays
- Open doors and windows for cross ventilation in the summer
- Use shorter wash cycles and cold water rinse
- Always run full loads in dishwashers and clothes washers
- Clean lint filters in dryers
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- Tune-up heating and cooling systems
- Install ceiling fans
- Caulk around doors and windows
- Insulate outlets and roof
- Install a programmable thermostats
Energy Calculator
To help customers understand how much energy household appliances use, a new natural gas appliance calculator has been added to the Web site at
http://www.wisconsinpublicservice.com/home/appcalc_gas.aspx
Using this easy tool, customers can determine the approximate energy usage and cost of most major natural gas appliances to help them plan how to save energy while helping the environment and their pocket book.
Budget Payment Plans
Minnesota Energy Resources is encouraging customers to consider enrolling in the budget payment plan. This will ensure bills are more stable and avoid high bills that may be difficult to pay in winter months. By signing up now, customers will pay more in the summer when they use less gas to build credit for the winter months. Spreading natural gas payments over the year allows customers to budget more accurately for their monthly payments and avoids big swings in bills.
Minnesota Energy Resources is a regulated natural gas delivery company that serves 207,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers throughout Minnesota. It is a subsidiary of Integrys Energy Group, Inc.
