Natural Gas Prices Expected To Be Less Than Last Year

The sting of high natural gas prices to heat your home over the past two winters is expected to ease for the upcoming heating season, which runs November through March. Montana-Dakota Utilities anticipates natural gas prices to be about 30 percent less than last winter.

The company projects that the average residential customer will pay about $450 for the five-month winter season, or $90 a month; that is down about $200 from last winter, or a decrease of $40 a month. The cost projection is for the commodity only and the outlook assumes average temperatures and no serious supply disruptions.

“Market fundamentals are much more favorable going into the 2023-24 winter,” said Scott Madison, executive vice president of gas supply for Montana-Dakota. “National storage is also much improved with inventories about 7 percent higher than the five-year average, and 16 percent higher than this time last year. The company works hard, using a variety of natural gas supply resources to secure the best-priced natural gas for our customers.”

Natural gas prices are subject to monthly changes based on fluctuations in the wholesale market and are approved by regulatory commissions.