The threat of high natural gas prices spurred people to sign up for Black Hills Energy's annual fixed-price option in numbers not seen for more than a decade.
Black Hills spokeswoman Brandy Johnson said 13,557 customers this year enrolled in the program, which allows them to pay a predetermined price for natural gas during the winter.
That's significantly more than the 8,000 or so who signed up last year, and it's the most to sign up for the program since 2008.
It's also more people than the company had intended to allow. Black Hills set the signup limit at 12,000 customers, but Johnson said closing the enrollment website is a manual process, "and a late surge in interest exceeded the limit prior to the site being closed."
She said the company made the decision to honor all the signups.
In anticipation of higher heating prices this winter, Black Hill's lock-in price for the coming year was 88 cents per therm, about a 65% increase from last year's price and more than double the price in 2020. It was the highest price for the program since 2009.
For October, Black Hills gas prices were set at $0.67649 per therm, only slightly higher than the price of $0.66261 per therm in October 2021.
Johnson said it's hard to predict how much higher heating prices could be this year for its Nebraska customers because natural gas prices for most of them are set monthly, and weather and market fluctuations can greatly affect those prices.
For example, Black Hills customers in Nebraska currently have a charge on their bill called the 2021 Polar Vortex volumetric charge, which the company was authorized to charge to recoup costs from the extremely cold conditions in February 2021, which led to rolling blackouts in Lincoln and caused natural gas prices to spike to more than 100 times their normal levels.
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On the other hand, the company last fall forecast Lincoln customers would pay 58% more for the 2021-2022 winter, but mild conditions kept gas prices at reasonable levels.
For those who want to be proactive in trying to save money on their heating bills, Black Hills is sharing tips on how to cut natural gas usage and reminding customers of available resources to help with energy bills.
Tips range from easy and inexpensive — like lowering the thermostat by a couple of degrees and closing curtains to keep warm air inside — to more involved projects like insulating the attic or installing weather-stripping around doors and windows to keep out drafts.
Customers who need help managing their bills are encouraged to enroll in budget billing, a free payment plan that averages the amount owed each month over a 12-month period.
For more videos, conservation tips and safety reminders, visit .