With Heating Season Around the Corner, National Grid Files to Lower Natural Gas Rates for Mass. Customers

WALTHAM, MA (09/20/2011)(readMedia)-- With autumn starting this week, home and business owners are thinking about the winter months to come and the cost of keeping themselves and their families warm during the coldest months of the year. National Grid's natural gas customers in Massachusetts can't keep the cold weather at bay, but they can expect to pay less for natural gas during the winter heating season. National Grid has asked the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities to approve new rates, which could save customers approximately five percent on their monthly bills between November 1 of this year and April 30, 2012.

"Our goal is always to purchase natural gas at the lowest price possible and pass the savings directly on to our customers, " said Marcy Reed, president of National Grid in Massachusetts. "We're pleased to be able to do this when our customers need it most."

National Grid natural gas customers can expect a 10 percent reduction in the cost of gas, which translates into a net decrease of approximately five percent for a typical residential customer using 780 therms of natural gas through the six month winter heating season. Actual monthly bill amounts will be determined when the DPU sets rates in October.

Customers can save even more on their energy bills by taking advantage of the energy efficiency programs and advice available through National Grid. Go to PowerofAction.com to learn more.

For customers having problems paying their energy bills, payments programs or assistance are available for many customers. Go to NationalGridUS.com and click on the name of your state. On your state homepage, click on "Customer Service" then click "Payment Assistance" for information.

National Grid is an international energy delivery company. In the U.S., National Grid delivers electricity to approximately 3.3 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island, and manages the electricity network on Long Island under an agreement with the Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). It is the largest distributor of natural gas in the northeastern U.S., serving approximately 3.4 million customers in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York and Rhode Island. National Grid also owns over 4,000 megawatts of contracted electricity generation that provides power to over one million LIPA customers.