ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – According to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, home heating costs will be tough for lower income families this season.

“During the winter, gas is a pass-through cost. So when we buy gas on behalf of our customers, our customers pay what we pay, we don’t mark that up,” said New Mexico Gas Company Spokesperson Gerald Weseen. 

The average family will pay about $1,200 to heat their homes through the cold months. Natural gas is running 66% higher than 2020, and heating oil is up nearly 75%. 

Gas prices are set by the producers who bring the gas out of the ground, and because demand ramps up in the winter – so do prices.

“Most of our customers use a lot more gas in the wintertime, because they use gas to heat their home, and they use less gas in the summertime,” said Weseen. 

To try and ease the strain on your wallet New Mexico gas company offers a number of rebates you can apply for if you qualify, and for all customers, you can enroll in budget billing.

“So if you go on budget billing you pay the same amount every month, and some of those higher winter bills get spread over the rest of the year,” Weseen said. 

The good news this year is we can expect lower gas bills compared to last year, according to the market outlook.

“Last winter, the company was paying about $8.50 per MMBtu. And this winter, it should be between five and 550. So about a third less than last winter,” said Weseen.

Weseen says it’s best to plan now to prevent for any kind of sticker shock.