CUB Gas Market Monitor
An Analysis of Natural Gas Offers
An Analysis of Natural Gas Offers
“Will I save money by switching to an alternative gas supplier?”
It's likely that you will NOT save, as the statistics from CUB's Gas Market Monitor show here.| Summary of plans | ||
| Lost | Saved | |
| 91% | 9% | |
  |  | |
| Average $516.79 Loss | ||
| As of June 23, 2009 Read below for more detailed information. | ||
For years, Northern Illinois consumers have been able to switch from their utility to an unregulated gas supplier. Even those who switch may have trouble determining whether they’ve saved money.
It all depends on which company you choose and when you sign up. A fixed rate is basically an insurance plan against soaring natural gas prices. You’re likely to pay a premium for that insurance. If you happen to lock in a fixed rate just before prices skyrocket, you might save money. However, you may not be so lucky if prices plummet. You might do better with a variable rate, which changes on a monthly basis, according to the cost of gas or some market indicator of gas (plus a markup). However, there’s no guarantee. You’re simply gambling that the unregulated supplier will do a better job buying gas than the utility. Sadly, you would need a crystal ball to determine whether any of these plans are big winners.
CUB’s Gas Market Monitor—the only study of its kind in Illinois—gives a "Monday morning quarterback"
| Consumer Tips |
This is no crystal ball, but it is the most comprehensive gas-price analysis available and we hope it will help you make an informed choice. The charts below show how plans offered by various companies over the years have fared. After exploring the Gas Market Monitor, get more information on our Natural Gas page, in the section called "Has The ‘Gas Company’ Tried to Sell You A New ‘Deal?’” It includes fact sheets, updated weekly, on the offers being marketed by unregulated gas companies.
How to Read This Chart
The chart below shows the performance of plans offered by unregulated gas suppliers, to date.
The “Summary” shows the total number of plans analyzed. This includes plans that have ended as well
Fixed plans
have one rate over the term of the plan.
Variable plans have rates that change every month.
as active plans. The chart displays the percentage of plans that have lost or are losing customers money
and the percentage that have saved or are saving money. The average result per plan (a savings or a loss) is included, too.
The chart then breaks down that information by supplier. It tells you the number of plans that are
fixed versus variable for each supplier. For more detailed information on how CUB estimated savings and
losses, read the methodology below.
Variable plans have rates that change every month.
| Summary | |||
| Total* | Lost | Saved | Average |
| 3107All Plans | 91% | 9% | ($516.79) |
| By Alternate Gas Supplier | |||
| Ambit Energy 12 | 0% | 100% | $0.86 |
| 12Variable | 0% | 100% | $0.86 |
| Cornbelt 30 | 93% | 7% | ($292.56) |
| 30Variable | 93% | 7% | ($292.56) |
| Direct Energy Services 12 | 100% | 0% | ($912.20) |
| 12 Fixed | 100% | 0% | ($912.20) |
| Dominion Retail 100 | 79% | 21% | ($313.71) |
| 21Variable | 95% | 5% | ($88.14) |
| 79 Fixed | 75% | 25% | ($373.67) |
| IGS Energy 55 | 67% | 33% | ($112.52) |
| 36Variable | 50% | 50% | ($78.91) |
| 19 Fixed | 100% | 0% | ($176.21) |
| Illinois Natural Gas Corp 11 | 45% | 55% | ($45.64) |
| 11 Fixed | 45% | 55% | ($45.64) |
| Integrys Energy Services 1626 | 90% | 10% | ($458.90) |
| 78Variable | 51% | 49% | $26.67 |
| 1548 Fixed | 91% | 9% | ($483.37) |
| Just Energy, formerly U.S. Energy Savings Corp. 373 | 99% | 1% | ($960.29) |
| 373 Fixed | 99% | 1% | ($960.29) |
| MX Energy 237 | 97% | 3% | ($700.20) |
| 14Variable | 100% | 0% | ($232.69) |
| 223 Fixed | 97% | 3% | ($729.55) |
| Nicor Advanced Energy 42 | 100% | 0% | ($43.82) |
| 42 Fixed | 100% | 0% | ($43.82) |
| Nordic Energy Services 403 | 96% | 4% | ($542.36) |
| 47Variable | 66% | 34% | ($3.41) |
| 356 Fixed | 100% | 0% | ($613.52) |
| Santanna Energy Services 123 | 80% | 20% | ($171.96) |
| 54Variable | 56% | 44% | $6.87 |
| 69 Fixed | 100% | 0% | ($311.91) |
| Spark Energy 72 | 100% | 0% | ($431.75) |
| 14Variable | 100% | 0% | ($187.31) |
| 58 Fixed | 100% | 0% | ($490.75) |
| WPS Energy 11 | 100% | 0% | ($448.79) |
| 11 Fixed | 100% | 0% | ($448.79) |
| * This total includes active plans and expired plans. Click on the name of each company to see more details, including how many of the plans are active versus expired. (Updated: June 23, 2009) | |||
Methodology
This analysis is based on data obtained from suppliers each week. It includes hundreds of active plans as well as expired ones (the plan’s term has ended and customers are no longer on it). For example, if you signed up in December 2005 for a one-year plan, the analysis of that plan’s results would be in the “expired” category, because the term would have ended in December 2006. If, in December 2005, you had signed up for a five-year plan, the analysis would be included in the active section and would reflect savings and losses to date.
| Month January February March April May June July August September October November December | Average Therms 250 250 150 100 25 25 25 25 25 100 150 200 |
Two other types of plans are not included in the Gas Market Monitor because they are rare and because they are difficult to track. Mixed plans offer a combination of fixed and variable rates at different times of the year. Also not included are some offers by an unregulated sister company to Nicor Gas, called Nicor Advanced Energy. For some plans, that company charges prices that differ by individual customer. One example is “Lock 12,” which charges you a set monthly bill for a year, depending on your own past usage and other factors—plus a hefty markup. With such atypical plans, it’s impossible to make the apples–to-apples comparisons featured in the Gas Market Monitor.
In addition to the per-therm rate, many plans include additional fees, such as a “balancing charge” and a monthly service fee. The “Transportation Service Credit” (for customers of unregulated suppliers in Nicor Gas territory) and the “Hub Credit Gas Charge” (for customers of unregulated suppliers in Peoples Gas territory) also will affect the advertised price. Wherever applicable, the analysis includes those fees and credits. Taxes and other government-mandated surcharges are not included.
CUB estimates a typical yearly usage of 1,325 therms and allocates those therms for each month based on gas-usage data from the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Actual results will vary based on individual usage. The analysis is based on data obtained from suppliers each week.
The plans you see here were offered at least through the end of the previous month, but may have changed or been discontinued by the time you read this. CUB's Gas Market Monitor is the most comprehensive analysis of Illinois' natural gas market available, covering more than 3,000 plans that are or have been offered since 2003. Every attempt has been made to verify all the information gathered with the companies listed, and CUB has strived to be conservative and prudent in its methodology. If there is a gap in information, CUB has made every attempt to point that out and compensate for it in its methodology. If you have any questions, please contact CUB, at 1-800-669-5556.