CHARLOTTE — Winter typically brings out the highest heating bills for gas customers. But Brenda Nelson didn’t expect her bill for December to be this high.
“It was almost $380 this past month,” she said.
She wasn’t alone.
Several of her neighbors shared on the localized social media site Nextdoor that their gas bills were among the highest they’ve ever seen with numbers in the $400s and $500s.
“Food is more expensive, everything is more expensive now, but to be hit and slammed with a high bill, I can only imagine some people can’t afford to pay it,” Nelson said.
The biggest factor behind the high bills is the cold, said Piedmont Natural Gas spokesperson Jason Wheatley. The colder it is, the harder your furnace has to work to heat your home.
“The harder your system is working, the more energy you’re going to use and you’re going to see that bill increase,” he said.
On top of the typical winter spike, however, customers also have to contend with a new rate increase that went into effect in November 2024. For many, this is the first bill under that new rate.
“The rate increase did take effect, and that is to help comply with federal safety regulations, to improvements we made to our customer experience,” Wheatley said. “We improved our billing system on our website, things like that. It’s also factoring into infrastructure that we need to build or improve to meet the demands of our customers across North Carolina.”
Another factor, Piedmont Natural Gas includes a pass-through rate that reflects the global price of natural gas. Starting in the fall and through much of the winter, those prices have been rising and gas customers are paying for it.
On Channel 9′s request, Wheatley said Piedmont Natural Gas has looked into many of the bills in Nelson’s neighborhood. He said there doesn’t seem to have been a major difference in gas usage compared with previous years, but when considering current rates, the usage does seem in line with what the customers are being charged.
For those struggling to pay their bills, he recommends they reach out to Piedmont Natural Gas customer service to see if they qualify for any assistance programs or the equal payment plan, to spread the burden of high winter bills out during some of the less expensive months.
“There’s a lot of information also winter winterization tips, or energy saving tips, things that people can do both in the long and short term, that can help impact their energy bills,” Wheatley said.
Of note, however, these most recent bills reflect the weather and gas demand in December. The cold snap Charlotte experienced in January will be reflected on the next customer bills.
“I can only imagine what the next month’s going to be like,” Nelson said.
Customers with an all-electric heat pump system should be insulated from this fuel-cost volatility and large usage jumps.
If you are experiencing massive spikes in your electric bill in the cold, the culprit is likely your emergency heat system which often runs on inefficient electric resistance heating. To keep your bill in check, HVAC professionals recommend keeping the emergency heat system off unless your heat pump stops working entirely.
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