Natural gas prices, chills create big bills By JASON PISCIA STAFF WRITER

For those who heat their homes with natural gas, a case of sticker shock should be landing in a mailbox near you any day now.

The combination of high natural gas prices and an early cold snap could result in heating bills as much as three times higher than the previous month.

"I haven't gotten my bill yet, but I'm scared," said Deryl Motley, who was working Thursday at Salvation Army Corps Community Center, 530 N. Sixth St., as part of an assistance program to help low-income residents pay off mounting utility bills.

That fear has been realized by anyone who has already received a bill for the past month of home heating.

And despite a heavy publicity campaign about the higher-than-usual natural gas prices this year, some customers are still bowled over by the jump, said Linda Nelson, a spokeswoman for Central Illinois Light Co., which provides gas to much of Springfield and the surrounding area.

"The very first bill (of the cold season) is always a little shocking," she said. "But I think this has been a little more shocking because of it being so warm the month before and the cold coming so early."

CILCO weather statistics show that after an average temperature in Springfield of 58 degrees in October, November's average reading dropped to 36. Last month's figure is 5 degrees below normal and 12 degrees below November 1999's average temperature.

And while the mercury fell, the price of gas has gradually increased. Natural gas rates actually have been going steadily up throughout 2000, beginning the year at 28.8 cents per therm in January. This month's rate is 65.2 cents per therm, according to CILCO.

A therm is 100 cubic feet of natural gas, and the typical home with a gas-powered furnace uses about 250 therms a month during the heating season.

Normally, gas prices do go up in the winter, thanks to increased demand, but then drop in the summer. That didn't happen this year. The reasons cited are cutbacks in gas production prompted by mild winters the past two years and increased demand from a booming economy and the proliferation of gas-fired electric generating units.

The result, Nelson said, are overall heating bills that could be 50 percent or more higher than last year's.

To help customers cope, Peoria-based CILCO has been in the seemingly awkward position of telling people about how to use less of their product. It's not that awkward, however, since CILCO does not earn profit on the actual sale of the gas, Nelson said. Their profit is included in the delivery charges, which have increased only slightly in recent years, according to the company.

Many gas-saving tips can be found on CILCO's Web site (www.cilco.com).

Some include:

Lowering thermostat by 2 degrees to save about 3 percent.

Reducing hot water temperature on water heater to 140 degrees.

Using cooler wash temperatures when doing laundry.

Checking and repairing, if necessary, weather stripping on doors and windows.

Proper maintenance of the heating unit itself also can lower bills, said Dave Gerber, assistant service manager at Allied Plumbing and Heating, 1315 Wabash Ave.

He suggests getting the unit checked and cleaned each year to maximize efficiency. In addition, be sure to check the filters monthly.

"We got a lot of people who will say their unit is running all of the time," he said. "We get there, and they have a filter you can't even see through. You hold a flashlight on one side and you can't see the light through it. It's that dirty."

CILCO's Web site also lists options for finding financial assistance with utility bills.

One initiative is the federally funded Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program.

Local residents applying for LIHEAP are expressing concern about the high gas prices, according to Rebecca Millburg, energy coordinator for the Sangamon County Department of Community Resources, which oversees the program locally.

The LIHEAP office is in Room 311 of the Sangamon County Complex at Ninth and Monroe streets. Persons can call 535-3120 on Mondays for an appointment to apply. The walk-in applicant day is Thursday.

Another assistance program is called "A Hand Up," founded by Illinois Power Co. in Decatur. It now has partnerships with several utilities, including CILCO and City Water, Light and Power.

Under that setup, residents can work temporarily at a local non-profit agency, take high school equivalency courses or enter a job-training program in exchange for money to go toward delinquent energy bills.

Participants can earn $10 toward the bill for every hour they work or attend classes, for a maximum of $750.

Motley, of Springfield, has participated in "A Hand Up" since November. He performs maintenance and other odd jobs at the Salvation Army to earn funds toward his back energy bills.

He said Thursday that in light of the high natural gas prices, he's glad to have the assistance.

"I love it," he said. "Otherwise I would have no gas, because there's no way I could pay the bill."

http://www.sj-r.com/news/00/12/08/c.htm

Jason Piscia can be reached at 788-1525 or jason.piscia@sj-r.com.

-- Martin Thompson (mthom1927@aol.com), December 08, 2000