In a home that has gas heat, this is almost always the largest bill in the household. Gas usage is measured in Mcf or 1,000s of cubic feet of gas and is charged on a slightly more changeable rate than other commodities. This is because gas supply is provided by sources outside of the local area and the gas commodity charge is dependent on market availability (just as gasoline prices vary day by day). As a result of this sometimes gas companies have to include a ‘gas cost adjustment’ on a bill, which can be very confusing as it adds more numbers into an already confusing mix. Since the projected cost of gas is not always what the actual costs ends up being, the gas company makes a ‘cost adjustment,’ either slightly increasing or decreasing the monthly charge.Gas bills usually fluctuate based on the seasons, higher in the colder months and lower in the warmer months, because most heating systems run on gas. When you look at your usage history graph you should see a spike around the winter months and a decrease once spring comes. It helps to be aware of all the gas-consuming appliances in your household, if you don’t already know this, go through room-by-room and check. Gas appliances may include furnace, stove, dryer, in-wall space heaters, hot water tanks and fireplaces. Once you have this information you can address any seasonal spike as well as your yearlong usage with several gas-conserving techniques that include:

1. Lowering your thermostat setting both while you are home and away. Try adjusting the temperature your home is kept at and you would be surprised at how low you can set your thermostat and still be comfortable (especially if you wear winter appropriate clothing and not shorts and flip flops). Programmable thermostats are a new improvement in heating technology, allowing you to pre-program what temperature you want you house to be at when.

2. Lowering the temperature of your gas hot water tank by turning the red or black knob at the bottom of the tank. Adjusting the temperature is an easy way to conserve gas and money by keeping not creating hot water that you oftentimes don’t use (think about how often you use the hottest water straight out of your faucet without adding cold). This can also be a safety concern as well, children can scald themselves on the steaming water coming out of a bath or sink. People concerned with sanitation can rest assured that water does not have to be scalding to penetrate dirt, especially with the advent of anti-bacterial soaps and detergents. All newer dishwashers also heat their own water, no longer requiring the water heater to work extra hard. Reducing the temperature of the hot water tank can also extend the life of the appliance because it won’t be working as hard.

3. Washing clothes in warm or cold water instead of hot, as mentioned in the previous bullet, modern soaps and detergents preclude the need for old-fashioned soaking in hot water. If you don’t want to give up this habit, at least consider washing only your linens in hot water, and using warm or cold for clothing (this also helps extend the life or your clothes!)

4. Covering pots and pans while cooking on a gas stove, making large meals that can be reheated for later consumption, and using the microwave instead of the oven or stove.

Further Resources

1. Equitable Gas Bill Reading website:
2. Columbia Gas Customer Service website:
3. Dominion Gas Energy Conservation website: