Why is my bill higher than usual?

On the first page of your bill, look for the 'How much gas did I use?' section halfway down the bill. If your meter reading has been estimated, then under the Meter Reading section in the second line it should say 'Estimated' with the estimated amount beside. Please select 'Yes' if your bill says 'Estimated' and if your bill says 'Actual', please select 'No'.

On the first page of your bill, look for the 'My Equal Monthly Payment Plan (EMPP) Overview' section at the bottom of the bill. Please select 'Yes' if you have a section called 'My Equal Monthly Payment Plan (EMPP) Overview' and if your bill says 'My last 13 months gas use', please select 'No'.

On the second page of your bill, look for the 'What am i paying for?' section at the top left of the bill. Please select 'Yes' if you have numbers beside 'Balance Forward'; if you have '$0.00' beside 'Balance Forward', select 'No'.

A balance forward may be a result of a late or missed payment. If you paid your previous bill, compare the account number on your bill to the account number listed on the payment made through your financial institution to ensure they match. If they differ or if you suspect any payment issues on their side, ontact your financial institution.

You can tell if you have an adjusted bill in a couple of ways:

• There may have a longer than normal billing period. Check the Billing Period on page 2 in the 'What am I paying for?' section on your bill to see if it is longer than a month, as this may indicate an adjustment has taken place.
• An adjusted bill will have a “reversal of prev. billed charges” line in the 'Charges for Natural Gas' section on page 2 of your bill.

If you have an adjusted bill, it may be due to a previous incorrect meter reading (too high or too low), a recent meter exchange or a billing correction. Contact us at 1-877-362-7434 or use our virtual assistant, cozE™, and type "Agent" into the chat to connect with a live representative. Representatives are available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. EST (closed holidays).

On the second page of your bill, look for the 'Charges for natural gas' section at the bottom left of the bill. Additional charges will be outlined in this section. Additional charges that may appear on your bill can include a security deposit, a new account charge, a charge for additional operations services (eg. relocating a meter), or a charge for reconnecting your gas after disconnection for non-payment.

Every bill will have several line items that pertain to the cost for natural gas.

• The 'Customer Charge' is a fixed amount that partially covers costs to maintain the delivery system, customer information and billing systems, customer services and emergency response.
• The 'Delivery to You' charge includes the costs to safely and reliably get natural gas to your home or business or put it into storage to meet peak demand. It includes a regulated rate of return, approved by the Ontario Energy Board (OEB).
• The 'Transportation to Enbridge' charge is the cost we pay, without any markup, to get the natural gas from the production facilities to Ontario.
• The 'Federal Carbon Charge' is part of the federal government's carbon pricing program. The current charge is 12.39 cents per cubic metre of natural gas used and this charge increases annually each April. All of the money that we collect for the federal carbon charge goes to the government.
• The 'Gas Supply Charge' is the cost of the gas that you use, without any markup. Because natural gas is a commodity, the market price can fluctuate with changes to supply and demand. We adjust customer prices for market fluctuations every three months to reflect changes in the market price.
• The 'Cost Adjustment' reflect the difference between forecasted and actual costs. Because the actual market costs can differ from our forecasts, adjustments are made quarterly to either refund or collect the difference so that you only pay the actual costs for these services and nothing more. These costs are passed on to customers without any mark-up.

Additional charges that may appear on your bill can include a security deposit, a new account charge, a charge for additional operations services (eg. relocating a meter), or a charge for reconnecting your gas after disconnection for non-payment. There may also be third-party company charges that would appear in the ‘Charges from Other Companies' section on an additional page in your bill.

You can compare your gas consumption from this year to last year to determine if you are using more gas than normal. Colder weather, or the addition of a new appliance like a pool heater, natural gas stove or fireplace, can contribute to higher gas usage. Log in to My Account to review your previous year’s natural gas usage or gas used on page 1 on your bill.

If your gas usage has increased, it could be related to the following items:

• Colder temperatures
• Additional appliances (fireplace, range, dryer, barbecue, pool heater, generator, second furnace, heated driveway, etc.)
• Additional square footage – was there an addition to the home, workshop, or garage?
• Renovations—did the home have windows or doors replaced during cooler weather that resulted in heat loss, or workers going in/out during construction, warmer temperatures needed inside the home for drywall or paint, etc.?
• Change in household dynamic – are more people living in the household (more cooking, laundry, showers) or do some occupants like the average temperature warmer than it used to be?

Although you may be using the same amount of gas as you did last year, a rate increase will result in a higher gas bill. Visit our gas rates page to find more information about changes in our natural gas rates.

This is our last tip. We hope you found this helpful to understand your bill amount this month.

Natural gas is a highly reliable energy source and more cost-effective energy solution for heating your home or business as compared to electric resistance, oil or propane.

Enbridge Gas is committed to helping homes and businesses manage their gas bills. Enbridge Gas offers a range of energy-conservation information and programs that can help you lower your natural gas use and save money. See our upgrade and rebate programs.

If you have concerns about paying your bill, support is available:

Enhanced payment plans. If more time is needed to pay a balance, you can arrange to make installment payments against a balance and avoid late payment fees and disconnection.

Low Income Energy Assistance Plan (LEAP). Low-income customers having trouble paying their bill may qualify for emergency relief through LEAP. The program provides emergency relief with financial grants of up to $650 per calendar year for eligible low-income customers. This amount is applied directly to the outstanding balance on a customer’s gas bill and will vary based on account circumstances. Customers can visit the United Way Simcoe Muskoka website for qualification information.

Equal Monthly Payment Plan (EMPP). Many households spend the most amount of money on natural gas during the three coldest months of the year. In the summer, they spend the least. The EMPP divides your expected yearly natural gas costs into monthly payments to minimize bills that fluctuate with the seasons, making it easier on your budget.