Cold snap has natural gas customers seeing increases in their utility bills
The recent cold and snowy weather in Chicago and nationwide has caused volatility for utility bills, especially for natural gas customers.
On another freezing night at East Chicago's Big Franks Sausage Restaurant and Bar. The food is hot, but the bills sometimes feel like burning money.
"I have it at 70 right now with their rates. It'll probably be at 45," said owner Stan Stefanski.
Stefanski said he's watched as his natural gas bills have steadily risen from roughly $1,700 for December 2024 to nearly $2,500 a year later.
While he jokes about raising prices, he knows he can't because his customers tell him they're in the same position.
"The people that have these higher bills are not going to have this extra income to go out and wine and dine, and it will affect people's spending habits, which is going to hurt entertainment, which I am in an entertainment field," Stefanski said.
You might be wondering, "Why are my bills so high?" That question was taken to the watchdogs, and they said there are a few factors.
"This is the big problem with gas, is you have a very volatile market that's hitting customers with high prices right now. At the same time, you have the Chicago region's two biggest gas utilities, which have increased rates and are trying to increase rates even more next winter," said Jim Chilsen with the Citizen Utility Board.
Chilsen said they're watching as prices creep higher, worried some consumers might make dangerous decisions to offset the rising costs.
"You know, NICOR's price is up about 50% compared with last January. People's Gas price is up about 25% compared with last January," he said.
If you worry about how this cold snap will affect you, Peoples Gas said "the price customers pay for the gas they use this month was locked in before the current cold snap."
At Big Frank's, Stan said he is looking at trimming labor or finding deals with his suppliers in an effort to control costs where he can.