OT: Natural gas prices rising

[pampam]

Has anyone heard about natural gas prices rising 40%? How are you coping. We can heat with wood or electricity too, but wood is going to $70 a cord here, if we pick it up. That's a face cord, not a bush cord! Electricity is going up too.

 

[MikeyNS]

Wow.. we paid $165/cord cut, split and delivered. $70 would be dreamy!

 

[MikeyNS]

Double post.. Whoops.

 

[megan_in_pink]

we are just swtiching over from oil heating to electricit. one had one bill last winnter of $700 for 3 weeks.....so the was the end of oil heating! thaqnkfully we get our wood for free.

 

[Csaks]

I was going to switch to gas from electricity but with all the gas increases lately it's not worth it now. Plus with the electric baseboards I can control each room.
I don't know about 40% but I have heard on the radio it affects the average household $400 to $600 a year.

 

[canadaman]

I got locked into a rate on my natural gas 2 years ago. i have been paying 45 cents a cubic m. when the actual price has been around 33 cents/ cubic m. So if the prices go up it will actually be good for me. I won't be getting ripped off anymore.

 

[Hug the Mouse]

The media loves to jump all over stories like this and create hysteria.

While the rates spiked now, we're in a period of warm weather when most Canadians natural gas usage is low. The increase is on the commodity itself, not the delivery charge. With a gas dryer and hot water heater, our summer bill is usually $35-40, with about half the actual gas. So we're looking at potentially $8 more.

The price charged to customers not on fixed contracts is adjusted on a quarterly basis I believe. So by the time winter rolls around the prices could drop. Maybe. Will depend on how oil plays out.

I would caution people to be wary of signing a long term natural gas contract with door to door sales agents. These companies feed off the media hysteria and prey on vulnerable consumers. I am astonished at the tactics these sales agents take when they knock on my door DEMANDING to see my utility bills. I tell them if they're not wearing a badge get off MY property.


Ellen Roseman at The Star often writes about natural gas as a consumer issue. Check out her articles including this one:

http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/425195

And this one...

http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/450876

yet another...

http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/305085

and one more...

http://www.thestar.com/comment/columnists/article/298600