Preparing For Winter

We want to make sure you have access to information and programs to help manage your natural gas bill during the winter months, when most of our customers use more gas.

When temperatures drop, the market price for natural gas often increases. As of early to mid-January, when temperatures were 10 to 20 degrees lower than normal for this time of the year, we saw higher prices compared with the last week of 2023. However by January 17, prices had stabilized at typical rates for this time of the year. 

Remember, the cost of gas is a passthrough on your bill. New Mexico Gas Company does not make any profit on the natural gas we purchase on behalf of our customers. 

We have a plan in place to supply gas to our customers during colder temperatures, and we're not expecting nor currently aware of any potential supply disruptions. We simply want you to know that when cold weather arrives, gas prices usually rise accordingly. 

Naturally, customers tend to turn up their thermostats when the weather gets cold, but there are always ways to save on energy costs. For tips on conserving energy at any time, you can go to this link. And remember that customers will not see higher prices reflected on their bills until later in the month or even in February because the billing cycle is roughly 30 days behind actual use.

Your bill has various components, including a fee for the service we provide, a charge to provide energy efficiency programs to customers and the cost of natural gas. The biggest change from month to month is the cost of gas. 

To lessen the impact of higher prices on your bill during the high-usage winter months, we recommend that you participate in our budget billing program. We'll take your annual bill and average it over 12 months so you pay the same amount every month. Essentially, you agree to pay a little more per month during the summer so your average monthly winter bill is lower. 

We also offer rebates through our energy efficiency programs to help you use less natural gas for space heating, water heating and cooking.

And while natural gas remains cost-effective compared with other energy sources, we know some customers might need help with their monthly bill. We can help you with our assistance programs. 

To learn more, please call us at 1-888-664-2726 or visit any of our 22 customer walk-in payment centers across New Mexico.