As Illinois exits the winter heating season, all but two of the state’s major gas utilities are charging a supply price that is lower than a year ago. The two exceptions are Consumers Gas, whose customers face a 48 percent spike in the cost of heating gas, and Liberty Utilities, with a 9 percent increase, compared with last April, according to a CUB review of prices.
Roughly eight out of 10 Illinois homes use methane gas for heat. Each month, the utilities file their supply price, called the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA), with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC).
For about a year, gas prices have been elevated because of a number of factors that have increased demand and tightened supply, including winter storms, frigid temperatures, and increased liquified gas exports (meaning profit-hungry gas producers and marketers are sending the heating fuel outside the United States). Also, soaring energy demand caused by new and proposed data centers has increased gas prices because the fuel is often used for electricity generation.
While the war in Iran has spiked heating gas prices in other countries, the United States’ domestic gas supply has so far been ample enough to largely shield residential customers from that volatility, experts say. Warmer weather and lower demand also helps, now that Illinois has gotten through another winter-heating season (October through March).
Here’s a summary of the gas supply rates charged by Illinois’ major utilities:
- In April, six out of nine utilities are charging lower prices than March: Ameren Illinois (about 5 percent lower), Consumers Gas (about 44 percent lower), Illinois Gas (about 23 percent lower), MidAmerican (about 13 percent lower), Mt. Carmel (about 71 percent lower), and Nicor Gas (about 6 percent lower). Three charged higher prices than last month: Peoples Gas (about 1 percent higher), North Shore Gas (about 12 percent higher), and Liberty Utilities (about 61 percent higher). Liberty revised their price from 48.3 cents a therm to 65.7 cents a therm, explaining in their tariff filing that the revision is due to a “correction in the calculation,” and is “driven by higher natural gas commodity costs associated with the January 2026 Winter Storm Fern.”
- Compared with April of 2025, this month’s prices were lower for seven of nine utilities, ranging from about 1.5 percent lower for Ameren Illinois to about 31 percent lower for Illinois Gas. Consumers Gas and Liberty are charging higher prices compared with last April. Check out this month’s prices:
April 2026 Gas Prices
Ameren Illinois– 48.165 cents per therm (DOWN about 1.5 percent from April 2025)
Consumers Gas– 45.499 cents per therm (UP about 48 percent from April 2025)
Illinois Gas– 46.03 cents per therm (DOWN about 31 percent from April 2025)
Liberty Utilities– 65.7 cents per therm (UP about 9 percent from April 2025)
MidAmerican Energy– 54.81 cents per therm (DOWN about 5 percent from April 2025)
Mt. Carmel– 25.99 cents per therm (DOWN about 27 percent from April 2025)
Nicor Gas– 46.00 cents per therm (DOWN about 20 percent from April 2025)
North Shore Gas– 49.82 cents per therm (DOWN about 11 percent from April 2025)
Peoples Gas– 41.23 cents per therm (DOWN about 22 percent from April 2025)
Note: Your utility is determined by where you live, so you cannot switch from one utility to another. Under Illinois law, gas utilities are not allowed to profit off supply prices—they pass those costs from gas producers and marketers onto customers with no markup. State regulators annually review the utilities’ gas-management procedures to evaluate whether the companies did a reasonable job with their gas purchases, given market conditions, to hold down costs for consumers as much as possible. Regulators can order refunds, although that is rare.
A few tips from CUB:
- Keep the lines of communication open with your utility. If you are having trouble affording your gas bills, it is vital that you contact your utility. Ask if you can set up a plan that gives you more time to pay off your bills, and inquire about no or low-cost energy efficiency programs the company offers.
- Ask if your utility offers a discount program for qualifying customers. Ameren, Nicor, North Shore and Peoples Gas do.
- See if you qualify for energy assistance. To apply or learn more about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), visit this state of Illinois webpage. (Also, check out our Step by step guide to applying for LIHEAP.)
- Practice energy efficiency. For tips and information about helpful energy efficiency programs, visit CUB’s Clean Energy page.
- Beware of alternative supplier rip-offs. If a deal seems too good to be true, there’s a good chance it is. If the utility’s gas price increases, remember that it’s due to market factors that also will increase alternative supplier prices. As volatile as gas utility prices are, your best bet for gas supply is likely with your utility and not with an alternative supplier. Read our tips. (Note: Only consumers in Northern Illinois have gas choice.)
- More helpful resources:
- CUB’s Gas page
- CUB’s chart of historical gas prices. Plus, CUB’s gas-price reports from 2026: January, February, March, and 2025: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, and December.
- If you want to consider moving away from gas, visit our electrification page and order CUB’s free Better Heat Guide to learn how to make the transition to more efficient appliances, such as electric heat pumps and induction stove tops.
