There are many things that you can do to your home to make it more energy efficient, but I’m going to talk today about just one simple thing that you can do to save money on your heating bill.  And it doesn’t require a trip to the home improvement store or climbing into your attic to check the insulation (although it’s not a bad idea).  Many areas of the country allow the customer a choice of energy suppliers.  Here in Duke Energy land (aka greater Cincinnati), we can choose our natural gas and electric supplier through Ohio’s Customer Choice program.  If you heat your house and/or water with natural gas check out the list of suppliers.  So, how do you compare rates?  It’s easy!

  1. Check out your current rate at the PUCO’s Apples to Apples Comparison Chart.  There’s a chart for each natural gas supplier in the state of Ohio.  Locate what you’re currently paying — listed on page 1.  Mine says “Duke Energy Ohio’s Rate” is $0.76 per ccf.  This is the base to compare.
  2. Check out page 2 and compare the rates of the other natural gas suppliers.  You can choose a variable or fixed rate.  Since I’m not a gambler I chose to look at fixed rate plans.  I could save money with a variable rate, but I could also spend more money.  I’ll stick with predictable.  Your situation may be different.
  3. Consider early termination fees — this is a real fee.  If you cancel your plan with a 3rd party supplier before your contract is up, you’ll have to pay this fee.  One supplier currently charges $150 fee to cancel.  Ouch!  Weigh this against the benefits of a lower natural gas rate.
  4. Found a company you like?  Give them a call or check out their website (listed here) to verify current pricing.
  5. Grab a current Energy bill and make the call.  If you have questions, ask.   You can set up a new account over the phone and information will be mailed to you.

If last year’s usage is any indication, this one phone call is going to save me over $100 this winter.  Not bad for 15 minutes of my time.

If you’re reading from outside of Ohio and know of a similar program in your state, please leave a comment with a link to your state’s program.

Happy Savings!

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