The cost to obtain natural gas for our customers changes monthly based on the market price of natural gas. This cost is a direct pass-through to our customers and generally makes up more than half of a customer’s monthly bill.
To keep natural gas affordable, we take actions throughout the year to help stabilize the price customers pay for natural gas and minimize the impact on bills. For example, we buy some natural gas in the summer when the prices are lower and store it. We also sign natural gas contracts with gas suppliers at set, locked-in prices.
The part of the natural gas bill that you can control is the therms. That’s the amount of gas a customer uses. Therms are used to calculate different parts of the bill. By reducing the therms, customers can reduce a portion of their monthly gas bill. Tips to reduce usage can be found at alliantenergy.com/waystosave. Customers can monitor their usage in My Account to keep tabs on how much energy they are using.
We know some people face financial hurdles from time to time so we also work with our customers who are struggling to pay their bills by offering flexible payment plans and encouraging them to apply for available financial assistance.
To learn more about what each line item on the bill means, visit alliantenergy.com/understandyourbill.