Shopping around will save you money

by Tom Olecki, Owner, Broadview Heating

Like most consumables, natural gas prices are rising rapidly and are expected to continue to rise. As of this moment, the cost of natural gas is double what it was last fall. That means your heating bill will be double what it was last year. The good news is you don’t have to pay the higher cost of natural gas if you shop for a better price. Yes, you can price shop for the best natural gas rate just as you would when you need to fill your car with fuel.

To accurately know what you are looking for, you must first understand a few terms. MCF is an abbreviation for a standard measure of gas or 1000 cubic feet. This is how customers in Dominion Gas territory are charged. Customers in Columbia Gas territory are charged per CCF which is an abbreviation for a standard measure of gas or 100 cubic feet. If you are reading this article you are most likely in one or the other of these gas suppliers.

Now take out your last gas bill and divide the total cost due by the total MCF of CCF used on your bill.

Example: For a Dominion bill of $308.87 divided by 32.4 MCF=$9.53 per MCF.

Example for a Columbia bill: $308.87 divided by 324 CCF=$.953 per CCF.

Now that you know what you are paying per MCF or CCF, you can go to a website that compares all available gas rates to each other.

The site is https://energychoice.ohio.gov/ApplesToApples.aspx. Once you are at this page, click “compare natural gas offers,” then “residential,” then on either Dominion Energy Ohio or Columbia Gas, depending on who your supplier is. The next page has all the current gas rates available in your territory. Compare these prices to the price you calculated above. Notice you can chose either a fixed or a variable rate and these are priced accordingly. You will also find the phone number or website on this page where you can easily sign up for the plan you choose. Be sure to review any terms and/ or early termination fees before you sign up. You may find what you are paying now and what is available could save you lots of money on your bills.

Sound too confusing? Call me, or better yet, visit me with your gas bill in hand and I will be happy to help you figure it out.

Tom Olecki, Owner, Broadview Heating

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Questions are always welcome.
For free help with your heating/cooling system, ask the experts at
broadviewheating@sbcglobal.net or call 440-526-7310.

Opinions and claims expressed above are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of ScripType Publishing.