There is good news, officials at Aquila, Lawrence’s natural gas provider, say: The price of natural gas this winter isn’t as high as they had expected.

But for Lawrence resident Patti Gallup the surprise has been less pleasing. She said she couldn’t find the good news in her monthly bill.

“It has been over the top,” Gallup said. “It has definitely been more expensive this winter than last winter for me. It is frustrating. Prices keep going up, but wages don’t. The poor are getting poorer.”

Gallup was one of about 900 people who last year received financial assistance to pay a gas bill through the Warm Hearts of Douglas County program.

She’s also applied for the program this year and had plenty of company.

“We’re booked every half-hour right now with people making applications,” said Jeanette Collier, the Douglas County coordinator for the East Central Kansas Economic Corp., which is one of five area organizations that disperses Warm Heart funds. “I know we’re getting incredible demand right now.”

Gallup, food director at the Salvation Army, said she understood why.

“I know I’ve already used up my nest egg,” Gallup said. “Living in Lawrence, there just aren’t that many jobs, and unfortunately most of the jobs are low-paying. When the basic cost of living goes up, it is just a scramble to make ends meet.”

Linda Lassen, who coordinates the Warm Hearts program through her job as director of Penn House, said the program served 984 people in 373 households last year.

Patti Gallup, Lawrence, wrapped her front porch in plastic to save on heating bills and to give her plants a warm place for the winter. Gallup, pictured on Friday, is one of many people who receive assistance to pay for heating bills.

“I’m sure we’re going to see a lot more,” Lassen said. “It seems like it could be doubly bad this year. It sounds like we could have a crazy winter, and gas prices are higher, too.”

Larissa Long, a spokeswoman for Aquila, said she understood the concerns. But Long said people should find some solace in the fact that gas prices haven’t spiked nearly as high as was once feared.

Market prices for natural gas this summer were 20 percent higher than they were a year ago. But this month they are only 6 percent higher than a year ago. Since the actual price of natural gas only makes up a portion of a consumer’s bill — delivery and service charges make up the rest — the total effect has been minimal, Long said.

According to her company’s calculations, the average bill for the month of January will rise to $177.12, up from $174.07 for the same month last year.

But those numbers assume people will use the same amount of gas they did a year ago. Based on recent weather patterns, that seems unlikely. Tim Reith, meteorologist with 6News, said during the first 13 days of January the average temperature was 34 degrees, or 8 degrees colder than the same period of January 2004.

Alternative source shells out cheap fuel Mercury dropping; gas prices climbing Homeowners brace for record winter fuel bills (11-13-04)Natural gas provider seeks rate increase (11-2-04) Utility bills expected to climb this winter (10-12-04) 6News video: Natural gas prices continue to rise Aquila warns of rising gas prices (8-10-04) Utility bills skyrocket with gas, oil prices (1-17-04) Energy audits can help homeowners save (12-29-03) Winterizing homes can lower heating bills (11-20-03) Toplikar: Programmable thermostats can help reduce energy bills (11-10-03) PowerSmart Energy Star: Heat & Cool Smartly Home Energy Saver U.S. Department of Energy

What’s worse is that the bitterly cold weather is expected to hang over the area for quite a while, said David Springe, consumer counsel for the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, an advocacy group for utility consumers.

“My concern is with this extremely cold weather, consumers are going to be using a lot more gas than they expect,” Springe said. “When they get that next bill, it could be a real surprise.”

Bundle up

Long said consumers who were falling behind in payments shouldn’t be shy about contacting the company for help.

“We don’t want to disconnect people,” Long said. “We just want people to let us know that they’re having problems keeping up, and let us put them on a payment plan. We really don’t want anyone to be faced with the threat of having their gas shut off.”

During much of the winter, gas companies can’t disconnect consumers for nonpayment. The state’s Cold Weather Rule prohibits disconnections when the weather is predicted to fall below 35 degrees during the next 48 hours.

Springe said consumers needed to think about bundling up. He recommends keeping homes at 65 degrees or lower, but he said controlling the thermostat was only part of the solution.

“The bottom line is people are paying some of the highest gas prices in history,” Springe said. “Long term, it is likely that we are going to have these gas prices for quite a while. If you can, you need to start thinking about adding more insulation or getting a new furnace. You have to think both short-term and long-term.”

Springe said he hoped to have conversations with utility companies about the possibility of utilities creating programs that would finance home energy conservation improvements for consumers.