The first energy bills of 2023 are rolling in, and you might need to brace yourself if you use natural gas. Some families and businesses say they're worried about how they'll get by.
"Opening that email, my stomach dropped," said Christine Clippinger of Mission Coin Laundry in Oceanside. "From $2,300 in December which was already a yearly high because it's a busy time, and it'll probably hit like $6,000 in January."
The reason? Clippinger's dryers are powered by natural gas. She took over the business more than a year ago and says she's enjoyed the community's response to her upgrades.
"I love what I do and want to survive this," said Clippinger. "But if I raise my prices to reflect what it's costing me to run these machines, it'll be the sticker shock to my customers and you know people who use laundromats are also really squeezed."
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So she's changed her habits, both at work and at home to try and save.
"I stopped eating out, made meals at home, put on sweaters at home to try and reduce my residential bill," said Clippinger.
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So why is the price of natural gas so high?
A year ago the price was $2.36 a therm, but now it is more than double that at $5.11. SDG&E said that means if you paid $105 last January, you'd likely pay $225 this month for using the same amount of gas.
SDG&E says it does not mark up the price of natural gas, meaning you pay what the utility pays for the commodity.
The U.S. Department of Energy says the price increase was for a variety of reasons, including below-normal temperatures nationwide, and pipeline maintenance. Even if you don't use natural gas, its price increase could still affect you.
SDG&E said it's also used to generate 40% of all U.S. electricity. That means that higher natural gas price is also pushing up your electric rate.
If you're trying to save on your natural gas bill, here are some tips to reduce costs:
- Use caulk and weather-strip around drafty doors and windows; use a door sweep, door sock, or towel at the bottom of doors with a gap
- Check furnace filters once a month and replace them regularly. A dirty air filter can increase your energy costs and cause problems with your equipment
- Use warm water instead of hot water to cut a washing machine's energy use in half; using cold water will save even more
- Lower the thermostat on water heaters to 120 degrees
If you are having problems paying your bill, or are worried that you may have trouble with this month's, SDG&E has assistance and payment programs that may be able to help. You can find those here.
