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3.4.06 Natural gas costs falls as heat rises Thanks to an unusually warm winter, natural gas rates in the Omaha area have continued their downward plunge and are at their lowest level of the heating season. Customers of the Metropolitan Utilities District are paying about 85 cents a therm for gas in March, a drop of 34 percent over November's season high. A therm is approximately 100 cubic feet. Customers of Aquila Inc. are paying about 93 cents a therm, a drop of 29 percent from that utility's season high in October. Most western Nebraska consumers get their gas from Kinder Morgan Inc. and pay a fixed price. Those customers didn't see the spikes in prices that M.U.D. and Aquila customers paid, but they also aren't benefiting from the drop now taking place. Utility spokeswomen in the Omaha area credited the warm weather for the drop in gas rates. "It's supply and demand in play," said Jan Davis of Aquila. Prices at M.U.D. haven't been this low since July, when natural gas prices typically are at their lowest, said Mari Matulka. Heating costs for the winter are turning out to be more manageable than had been feared when unprecedented prices prompted urgent calls for consumers to weatherize and conserve. Even Congress became concerned and pressed for a release of extra money to help the poor. Still, despite the warm winter, ratepayers paid more for natural gas. According to M.U.D., the average residential bill for October through early February was $525.85. That's an increase of 24 percent over the same period a year ago, despite an 8 percent drop in the amount of gas used. |
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