Northwest Iowa — The majority of us here in our area depend upon natural gas to heat our homes. Natural gas prices dropped 55-cents this week, after a couple of weeks when the price went up a few cents.
Iowa Department of Agriculture fuels analyst Harold Hommes says current market conditions shouldn’t be a concern.
He says the utility companies lock in those contracts to try to get the best prices. He says that takes the week-to-week fluctuations in prices out of the equation.
It could make a difference for propane customers who order their own fuel and don’t pay attention to the price. But overall, Hommes says the biggest factor in the cost to heat our homes is the weather and how far down the temperature drops.
There are some predictions that usage may be up this year with colder weather, leading to the corresponding increase in heating bills.
