Watchdog group names 'worst' gas plans in Chicago area
ABC7 I-Team Investigation
CHICAGO (WLS) -- One utility consumer group released its list of what it calls some of the "worst" plans when it comes to gas rates.
Shopping for a gas plan can be overwhelming. There are dozens of unregulated suppliers to choose from and there are government-regulated plans which recently have been lower. Consumer experts are comparing them all for you and found some of the highest prices.
MORE: Secrets to lowering your gas bill
In its e-newsletter Tuesday, the Citizens Utility Board is listing what it calls some of the worst gas rates in northern Illinois and Chicago that it says were offered this month. It gets data directly from those companies and their websites.
"There are rates that go up and down there are deals that have bad introductory rates or weird exit fees or weird monthly rates there is a lot of stuff in the fine print that you really need to be careful and look at," said Megan Carlson, Citizens Utility Board.
For example, in the Chicago area, Carlson says the worst recent rate was from the unregulated supplier Ambit Energy, which could be as high as about $0.76 per therm on a variable rate. Compare that to the regulated Peoples Gas and North Shore rates of $0.37 and $0.44 per therm, respectively.
"So this rate is much higher, it is also a variable rate and that is something people need to look out for - rates that change month-to-month. You'll never know what it will be the next month," Carlson said.
Santanna Energy Services was No. 2, at about $0.70 per therm for a one-year fixed rate and a $7.99 administrative fee.
Both Santanna and Ambit offer other plans and rates, which may be more competitive.
"It is a good idea to do some smart shopping and even though now we may be getting into the summer months what we see is, we get back into the fall winter months when it gets colder and all of the sudden people see those outrageous bills. It is time to be proactive right now," Carlson said.
Late Tuesday afternoon, Ambit released this statement about its variable rate plan, saying Ambit "...is committed to offering competitive plans in each of the markets we serve and has consistently offered some of the lowest term rates..." saying it offers a one-year fixed rate plan of only $0.31 per therm.
The I-Team also sent emails and left a voice mail for Santanna Energy, but no one has gotten back to us yet.
Gas suppliers provide their most recent prices with the Illinois Commerce Commission.
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