Heating Bills Could Fall This Winter

Missouri consumers could get a big break this winter, with heating bills expected to be much lower than they were a year ago. Last winter, natural gas prices topped at about $10 per thousand cubic feet. Last Friday, the price dropped to $1.69. The Missouri Public Service Commission says the average consumer last winter used 82,000 cubic feet of natural gas. Since 1990, natural gas prices averaged around $2.00. The Commission expects natural gas prices to hover between $2.00 and $3.00 this winter, but no higher. That could help the thousands of Missourians disconnected last winter when high gas prices and low temperatures pushed bills beyond the ability of many to pay them.