Glossary of Terms
At A Glance: This part of your bill is located at the very top of the statement and displays the statement date, account number, payment amount and due date.
Amount Due: This is the amount you should pay each month.
Automatic Payment Plan: A hassle-free way of paying monthly bills where Peoples Gas or North Shore Gas deducts payments automatically from your checking or savings account.
Bill Messages: Important information about your Peoples Gas or North Shore Gas account that is in the bottom left corner of your billing statement.
Billing Cycle: The amount of time covered by one bill, usually one month.
BTU Factor (British thermal unit): A factor used to adjust the heating value of gas. A Btu is defined as the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water by one degree Fahrenheit.
Budget Payment Plan: A payment option that divides a customer's estimated bill into monthly payments, allowing customers more predictability over their natural gas bill from month to month.
Carbon Monoxide (CO): CO is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless gas. It is the product of the incomplete combustion of carbon-containing compounds.
Choices For Yousm: A program offered by Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas that allows residential and small business customers to choose their natural gas supplier.
Combination Packages: Under these plans some natural gas suppliers may offer packages that include both gas and electric services. Residential customers of public electric utilities in Illinois also have a choice of their electric supplier.
Customer Charge: A fixed monthly charge that recovers the costs associated with making natural gas service available to customers. This charge also funds weatherization, energy assistance and renewable energy grants, which are run by the state of Illinois.
Current Charges Graph: A personalized graph that shows how much your gas bill has been over the year.
Current Usage: Lists your billing period and amount of gas used at your home or business.
Delivery Charge: A charge that recovers the Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas' costs of delivering gas to customers, which represents about 20% of your total bill.
Deregulation: The service of purchasing gas has been separated from the natural gas delivery, allowing other natural gas suppliers the opportunity to sell natural gas to Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas customers.
Distribution Charge: A per-therm charge assessed by Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas based primarily on how much natural gas is delivered to the customer.
Energy Conservation: The conscious effort to consume less energy.
Energy Guide Label: Most new appliances are required by law to carry ENERGYguide labels that offer an estimate of the amount of energy the appliance will use in one year based on average household use patterns or the energy efficiency rating of the appliance.
Energy Star: ENERGY STAR is a group of voluntary energy-efficiency programs sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. ENERGY STAR labels energy-efficient products and sets standards of energy efficiency for homes and businesses.
Environmental Charge: A charge on the Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas bill that helps cover the cost for environmental restoration.
Fixed Price: Under this plan, you pay the same price per therm for natural gas each month, but your bill will vary based on the amount of gas you use. Changes in the market price of natural gas should not affect the amount you pay per therm. This type of contract offers stability. Whether market prices go up or down, you will pay the amount you have locked in.
Fixed Bill: The customer pays the same amount every month for a set period of time. Changes in the customer's use or the market price of natural gas should not affect the amount the customer pays.
Flexible Gas Connectors: Corrugated metal tubes that bring gas from supply pipes to appliances in your home.
Gas Charge: Displayed on Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas bills, this is how much you pay for natural gas, which averages about 70% of the total bill. The gas charge is determined monthly and filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission. You pay what the company pays for the gas supply without any additional charges.
Gas Usage Graph: This personalized graph shows you how much gas you use over the year.
Insulation: Prevents or reduces the passage of heat, electricity or sound. A well-insulated home can save as much as 20% on their annual natural gas bill because less heat is lost.
Market-based or Index Price: Under these plans, you can expect the price for natural gas to change each month. The supplier sets the monthly price per therm based on natural gas market indicators, meaning your gas price will fall and rise with market prices.
Natural Gas: A mixture of combustible hydrocarbon gases, mostly methane and ethane, found trapped in the pore spaces of certain sedimentary rocks, often along with petroleum deposits.
Online Payment: A way to view and pay your bill online. There are no checks to write, stamps to buy or envelopes to mail.
Share the Warmth: A program funded by the donations of Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas customers and employees and matched by the companies in order to provide a matching-grant of up to $200 per eligible household.
Single Billing: If purchasing gas from another supplier, this is a service provided by Peoples Gas and North Shore Gas or a supplier that offers one bill containing charges from both Peoples Gas or North Shore Gas and the supplier.
Supplier/Marketer: A company other than the local utility that supplies natural gas to customers.
Tax Credits: A reduction on the amount of tax one must pay. Tax credits are available for many types of home improvements including adding insulation, replacing windows and installing certain high efficiency heating and cooling equipment. The maximum credit for home improvements is $500 for the two-year credit period.
Taxes: Charges mandated by the State of Illinois and imposed by local municipalities that make up about 10% of your bill.
Therm (British thermal unit): For billing purposes, the volume of gas used multiplied by the BTU factor.
Total Current Charges: The sum of the delivery, gas, and environmental charges and taxes.
Variable Price: The price for natural gas may go up or down with market trends. But the price per therm may not necessarily be tied to a market index. For example, it may be based on the supplier's average cost to purchase natural gas.
Weatherproofing/Weatherization: Precautions one can take to keep a home safe from bad or cold weather.