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March 16, 2005
Naperville, Ill. -- Nicor Gas announced today it filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) for March 2005 a gas supply charge (GSC) of 64 cents per therm. The March GSC is down from February's GSC of 67 cents per therm. The GSC is the cost Nicor Gas pays for the gas, which is passed through to customers with no mark up. The decrease in price is in line with the recent national trend of moderating prices.
"Last fall, we were preparing for even higher natural gas costs than what we ended up with this year," said Rocco D'Alessandro, senior vice president operations for Nicor Gas. "But, costs did not reach anticipated highs, partly because there were adequate supplies of natural gas in storage going into the heating season and because weather was mild in the beginning of the winter, which reduced usage."
EIA's National Perspective
According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the moderation in natural gas prices for this month is because the heating season is nearly over and storage levels continued to be ample across the country. At the end of February, working gas in storage totaled 1,570 billion cubic feet, 36 percent higher than one year ago and 30 percent higher than the five-year average.
2004-2005 Local Heating Season Recap
The average Nicor Gas residential customer using natural gas for heating, hot water and cooking spent $795 this heating season (October through March(1)) as opposed to $739 and $728, respectively for the past two winter heating seasons.
"This is the third consecutive winter that we've had high, but relatively stable, gas prices," explained D'Alessandro. "We've done a lot at Nicor Gas to minimize the price swings that could otherwise occur."
"The past two years, favorable national weather conditions have kept prices from going significantly higher," he said, adding,"Unfortunately, this situation -- the potential for higher costs -- will exist at least for the next few years until the country's natural gas supply increases."
Customers Encouraged to Contact Nicor Gas
Nicor Gas recommends customers look at their own historical gas usage by visiting "My Account" (www.nicorgas.com/myaccount). They can also review their current month's bill and account balance online. For the log-in process, customers should have their most recent bill handy to reference necessary account information.
For customers who have fallen behind this winter, D'Alessandro stressed that help is available. "There is financial assistance available to lower-income customers and payment programs that all customers can access. If people are having difficulty, they should know we're here to help, and they should call us right away." Customers can call Nicor Gas' toll-free number at 1 888 Nicor4u (642-6748).
Nicor Gas is one of the nation's largest gas distribution companies. Owned by Nicor Inc. (NYSE: GAS) a holding company, Nicor Gas has provided safe and reliable natural gas services for 50 years. The Company serves two million customers in a service territory that encompasses most of the northern third of Illinois, excluding the city of Chicago. For more information, visit the Nicor Web site at www.nicorgas.com.
(1) March usage estimated based on normal weather for an average house size of 2,000 to 2,500 sq. ft. | 
