Thanks to a sluggish economy, natural gas prices should stay the same this winter.

Last week, Black Hills Energy announced that Kansas customers should expect to pay the same per-unit price for natural gas as they did last winter. The cost of natural gas makes up 65 to 75 percent of the residential bill and represents what Black Hills actually pays for the commodity.

In a news release, Black Hills noted that it had high storage levels of natural gas. A down economy has meant a lack of demand for natural gas in the manufacturing sector. Also, new discoveries of natural gas in the United States have led to lower prices.

The energy company noted that prices could change quickly and might go up if hurricanes affect natural gas production along the Gulf Coast or the region experiences long periods of cold weather this winter.