Natural Gas Usage – Tips on Keeping Winter Utility Bills Low 

It’s almost winter, and many consumers are starting to worry about their energy bills. What should you do if your utility bill is going up? How can you save money on heating this winter? In this blog post, we’ll discuss the reasons for natural gas prices going up in 2021 and how it will affect consumers. We’ll also give tips on keeping your energy usage down so that you don’t have to pay more for utilities this winter. 

Why Are Natural Gas Prices Rising? 

The Covid-19 pandemic shut the whole world down in March of 2020. Among other supply and demand fluctuations, there was also a large increase in the demand of natural gas and a decrease in the natural gas supply in the United States. The lowered supply levels of natural gas was one of the biggest concerns for consumers and businesses after the pandemic. This shortage mixed with higher demand caused utility bills to increase in 2021, and many people had to choose between heating their homes or paying for other utilities like internet and phone services. 

How will higher prices affect you? 

Natural gas is used as the primary heating fuel for about 48% of U.S. homes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 American Community Survey. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that homes that use natural gas as their primary heat source to spend an average of 30% more on natural gas this heating season when compared to last year. On top of rising prices, weather experts are also predicting a colder-than-average winter (December through March). 

The good news is that there are ways you can keep your energy usage down this winter. Below are some tips and tricks you can follow to help keep your household energy costs down this winter. 

How to Keep Natural Gas Costs Lower 

• Use natural lighting during the day to heat your home. Heating with natural light is more cost-efficient and will keep your home nice and cozy during the day, time to open those blinds! 
• Lowering your thermostat by just one degree can save up to three percent of natural gas usage per year — that may not seem like much, but every little bit helps when saving money on heating this winter! 

• Close doors in empty rooms or rooms you don’t go in very often. This will help increase your energy efficiency because you will not be heating rooms that don’t get used. 
• Turn down your water heater temperature.  You should not use more than 120 degrees Fahrenheit for showers and other tasks. You can also wrap your water heater in an insulating blanket to help preserve the heat. 
• Keep your home well insulated during the winter months. You can do this by sealing any cracks or holes in windows and doors with caulk. 

What Can You Do If Your Utility Bills Are Too High? 

If your natural gas bills are getting out of control, contact your utility or supplier to see if they offer any type of budgeting plans for you to opt into. These plans allow you to spread out the cost of heating throughout the entire year.  

Also, look for a supplier that offers additional perks.  Our customers earn reward points on every dollar spent on utilities. These rewards can be used for other products or services and can even be traded in for gift cards to your favorite retailers! Choosing Shipley Energy for your home-heating needs is the natural choice, build your natural gas plan today!