National Grid today released winter bill forecasts for customers in New York City and on Long Island. The current forecasts reflect market prices for natural gas are expected to stabilize this coming winter heating season from historic peaks a year ago, resulting in lower winter heating bills for customers.

National Grid plays an active role in managing the natural gas purchased on behalf of customers to help stabilize pricing for customers, including purchasing at the best possible price and using gas storage. The cost of energy supply is set by the marketplace and National Grid passes this cost directly on to customers without markup.

“Despite lower energy prices expected for this winter, we always encourage customers to reduce energy use which is a powerful tool to help reduce energy costs and combat climate change,” said Melanie Littlejohn, National Grid’s New York Vice President for Customer and Community Engagement. “Our commitment is to support our customers by helping them stay warm and safe this winter. National Grid has numerous assistance programs available, as well as energy saving strategies, resources and tips.”

Winter Bill Forecasts

Based on current market conditions and assuming a typical winter:

• New York City Metro residential heating customers who use an average of 725 therms during the five-month heating season – November 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024 -- are forecasted to pay about $60 less than last winter or a 4.9% decrease compared to last year.
•  Long Island residential heating customers who use an average of 725 therms during the five-month winter heating season — November 1, 2023 to March 30, 2024 — are forecasted to pay about $94 less than last winter or an 8.3% decrease compared to last year.

Through the Customer Savings Initiative National Grid is here to help with solutions to help to save energy, manage bills and access assistance. The company is offering some useful suggestions to ensure every customer has all the tools they need to prepare for the heating season.

The Power is in Your Hands

• Take a no-cost 5-minute online home energy survey, and receive a custom energy savings report for your home.

• Have your heating system serviced annually and clean or replace the filter every month during the heating season.

• Seal leaks and cracks where cold air can get in to save 15% annually on energy costs.
• Clear areas in front of vents from furniture; blocked vents require up to 25% more energy to distribute air.
• Turn down the thermostat every time you leave the house for two hours or more, and each night before you go to bed. For every 1 degree a thermostat is set back, customers can save 1% to 3% on their annual heating costs. With a smart thermostat customers can adjust the temperature in their home from anywhere. You can save an estimated 10% per year on energy costs by adjusting your thermostat 7-10˚F for eight hours each day.
• Save energy and money on water heating and consumption by setting maximum water heater temperature to 120˚F, repairing leaks, and installing a water-saving faucets and low-flow showerheads.

Customer Assistance

• The federal, Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) provides eligible customers with financial grants that assist in paying home heating bills. These grants do not need to be repaid. The program is administered by county departments of social service and typically runs from November through March, but the timeframe may be lengthened or shortened based on federal funding availability. For more information about HEAP, contact your county’s department of social services.
• Customers who qualify for HEAP may also receive a Clean and Tune Benefit, which provides up to $400 for the cleaning and maintenance of primary heating equipment, chimney cleaning, and installation of carbon monoxide detectors or programmable thermostats. Customers may also qualify for the Heating Equipment Repair and Replacement benefit that provides grants based on the actual cost to repair or replace heating equipment in your home.

• National Grid’s Energy Affordability Program provides automatic monthly bill credits for HEAP-eligible customers or customers who participate in other qualifying programs.
• NYSERDA’s EmPower+ New York Income-Eligible Free Weatherization Program for New York Metro customers, a participating contractor will complete a no-cost home energy assessment to identify if a home would benefit from free energy upgrades such as high-efficiency lighting, attic and wall insulation, replacement of old, inefficient refrigerators and freezers and water-saving showerheads.

• National Grid Home Energy Affordability Team (HEAT) provides Long Island income eligible customers with a no-cost home energy assessment to identify if a home would benefit from free energy upgrades such as water-saving faucets and shower heads, attic and wall insulation, air sealing of leaks, weather stripping, duct sealing, programmable or smart Nest thermostats and in some instances repair or replacement of natural gas heating and water heating equipment.
• Hearts Fighting Hunger offers one-time emergency food assistance in the form of a $150 grocery store gift card/ food voucher to eligible National Grid New York heating customers with a past-due account and a vulnerable household member.
• Hope & Warmth Energy Fund for National Grid New York customers, provides emergency financial assistance to vulnerable customers who have an income above the HEAP eligibility guidelines and are having difficulty paying their heating bills. Eligible customers will receive one $200 grant during the winter heating season.

Additionally, National Grid Consumer Advocates work directly with customers to help them manage their energy bills. The Advocates specialize in assisting income-eligible and vulnerable customers, aligning them with available programs and services offered by National Grid and local agency partners.

• Long Island Consumer Advocates can be reached at 1-800-930-5003 or ConsumerAdvocacyLI@nationalgrid.com.
• New York City Consumer Advocates can be reached at 1-718-643-4050 or ConsumerAdvocacyNYC@nationalgrid.com.

Additional Customer Solutions:

• Budget Billing Program open to all residential customers, spreads payments out more evenly across the year to help better manage energy costs.
• The company also encourages customers to take advantage of additional payment and billing options, including flexible payment agreements and special protections.
• Customers also can take advantage of instant discounts and incentives at the National Grid Marketplace on energy-efficient light bulbs, smart thermostats and more products that will help save energy and money.

Partnership with 2-1-1

• National Grid is working with United Way of New York State to support the 2-1-1 human services hotline, which connects callers across of most of New York to essential non-emergency public services like food and shelter, referrals to non-profit services, and information about benefit programs. In addition to sponsoring the 24-hour phone line, National Grid’s customer contact center staff will be cross-trained to refer and transfer callers demonstrating a need for services beyond energy affordability to a 2-1-1 operator. Staff at 2-1-1 call centers also will receive training to transfer National Grid customers in need of payment assistance to the company’s call center.

About National Grid

National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future — transforming our networks with more reliable and resilient energy solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.