City coalitions, including the Steering Committee of Cities Served by Atmos and the Gulf Coast Coalition of Cities, have worked hard to keep bills from going up more than they would otherwise.
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Feel like your natural gas utility bill is on the rise? It’s not your imagination. According to financial reports from the Atmos gas utility, its average customer bills have increased every year except for one since 2019. Customers of CenterPoint Gas, which operates in the Houston area, also have endured consistently increasing bills.
But city coalitions, including the Steering Committee of Cities Served by Atmos and the Gulf Coast Coalition of Cities, have worked hard to keep bills from going up even more. By intervening in rate cases at the Texas Railroad Commission and taking other actions, ACSC has helped shave at least $369 million from proposed Atmos rate hikes (calculated on an annual systemwide basis) since 2008. Similarly, the GCCC and other intervenors have helped shave more than $103 million from proposed CenterPoint rate hikes since 2016.
To further aid ratepayers, TCCFUI provides here tips to understand what goes into your bill, as well as guidance about where to get assistance if your bills get out of hand.
Bill Determinants
These factors determine the amount of your Atmos Energy bill:
- The amount of natural gas used — that is, you’re monthly consumption. This can be reduced by adjusting your thermostat or by insulating your home.
- The commodity cost of natural gas. This is a pass-through cost. Natural gas utilities are prohibited from receiving any extra profit from the cost of natural gas used to service its home and business customers.
- Customer and delivery charges. The ACSC and the GCCC intervene in rate cases to help limit increases in this portion of your bill.
- Taxes and fees.
Bill Details
Items on your bill may include the following:
- Your gas usage over the billing period. This is shown in CCF or hundreds of cubic feet.
- Your current meter reading.
- A breakdown of charges and credits.
- The amount due.
Terms and Conditions
These terms may appear on your bill, depending on your type of service.
- BUDGET BILLING: If you are a budget billing customer, your bill will show the amount to be paid this month, as well as the actual account balance.
- CONSUMPTION CHARGE: This charge covers a portion of the fixed costs and the company’s variable cost it incurred to serve customers. This is a “volumetric” charge — that is, it is multiplied times your usage.
- CUSTOMER CHARGE: This is a set amount each month that covers a portion of the gas company’s fixed costs that it incurs to serve each customer. This is also known as “Fixed Delivery Charges” or “Base Rates.”
- ESTIMATED BILL: If the word “Estimated” appears next to your latest meter reading, your usage for this period was estimated based on your prior usage history. During the next cycle your meter will be read. If necessary, a billing adjustment will be made to reflect actual usage.
- FRANCHISE FEE: This is a fee that is levied by local municipalities. The company collects and passes this fee on to the cities. The fee varies from city to city. Some bills may read RIDER FF.
- GAS COST RECOVERY (Rider GCR): This charge recovers the actual gas cost paid to suppliers and the transportation charges paid to deliver gas to the company’s distribution system. There is no profit added to the gas cost. This amount is multiplied times your usage.
- PRORATED BILL: Adjustment or prorate of the facility charge/customer charge on bills with more or less than the standard days of service, if applicable
- TAX and OTHER CHARGES: This includes any sales tax assessed by your city or state, and any contribution you have made to an energy assistance program.
- USAGE IN CCF: This is how many hundreds of cubic feet of natural gas used during the billing period.
Bill Assistance
If you are unable to pay a past due balance, assistance is available from federal, state, and local programs.
- Atmos Energy and its customer provide bill assistance funds through its “Sharing the Warmth” program. Nearly $5 billion was donated to this program in 2024.
- CenterPoint, the Houston area gas utility, hosts a bill assistance resource page, found here.
- The federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program releases funds every winter to help customers pay their energy bills. Click here to find out if you are eligible for LIHEAP assistance.
- The National Energy & Utility Affordability Coalition (NEUAC) provides resource information for income-constrained energy consumers. Click here to find NEUAC information for your state.
- Texas customers can find out more from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs about applying for utility bill assistance. Click here to locate an agency near you or call 211.
- Atmos Energy sponsors a program to help residential customers in the Mid-Tex region to pay for energy efficiency home upgrades. Click here to find a provider near you and for information on how to apply for assistance.
- CenterPoint, which also operates an electric utility, hosts a page with energy savings tips for both gas and electric customers, here.