The weather outside may be cold, wet and windy, but there’s cause for celebration – most Illinois consumers natural gas prices have declined for the second consecutive month. Compared to a year ago, we’re paying less across the board for natural gas.
The price per therm you will pay for natural gas in February, also known as the Purchased Gas Adjustment, or PGA, is shown in the chart below. It includes PGAs from this month, last month and February 2019. Hover your mouse over the graphic to show prices.
Not only have prices dropped across the board from last February, but almost all the utilities have either dropped or maintained their price per therm from last month. Liberty Utilities had the only increase, from 27.71 cents per therm in January to 31.83 cents this month.
Mount Carmel, for the third month in a row, takes home the largest decrease in price from the previous month — this time, its rate fell about 14 cents. In January, the utility’s price fell 16.3 cents and in December 2019, it dropped almost 19 cents. Mount Carmel’s price has plunged since a high of 70.6 cents per therm last November.
Consumers Gas had the biggest drop in price from last February. The southern Illinois utility’s current price per therm of 29.2 cents is a 40 percent decrease from last year.
Other notable decreases from last February include: MidAmerican (a drop of 14.57 cents), Mount Carmel (a drop of 13.88 cents), and Liberty (a drop of 13.18 cents).
Nicor maintained its price per therm from January, but the current rate of 26 cents per therm is 10 cents cheaper than its February 2019 price. Ameren, North Shore Gas and Peoples Gas all dipped in price, but not significantly — Peoples dropped about 2 cents, and Ameren and North Shore both fell about 1 cent.
Reminder: You cannot switch to another utility. Utility service territories are geographic: Your utility is determined by where you live. Nicor, Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas can switch to alternative suppliers, but that market is plagued by bad deals and rip-offs. The regulated utility prices, listed in this article, are probably your best bet.
