Written on: February 22, 2022
Dear Valued Customer,
Once again, we’re seeing energy prices surge across the board. We know how painful that can be for our customers. It’s painful for us, as well.
Gasoline has risen more than a dollar more per gallon vs. a year ago. Natural gas prices have skyrocketed more than 150%. Crude oil prices have climbed above $100 per barrel, a level we haven’t seen in seven years.
The cost of electricity has not been spared either. Higher natural gas prices result in price hikes for wholesale electricity because of heavy reliance on natural gas-fired power plants.
What’s more, wholesale propane prices have hit their highest weekly average levels since February 2014. Read more about the factors that are driving today’s energy market.
People sometimes misunderstand how negatively all this impacts us, as well. We don’t make more money when prices rise like this; we make less. Think of it this way: it’s like when the cost of coffee, milk, or oranges rises. It’s not the local grocery that is profiting. (That’s left to the Wall Street investors.) Our customers have a harder time paying their bills. They reduce expenditures. We need to tap into our lines of credit more. Our phones light up with questions. So the sooner energy prices drop, the happier we’ll be.
In the meantime, please talk to us about things we can offer to help you reduce your energy costs, or handle payments more easily. And if you are having trouble with your bills, please call us. We can generally work with you if you reach out before you fall behind.
We’ve been in business for many years and have deep roots in the community. We have secure access to supplies. We are doing everything possible to ensure we can deliver — even if other companies cannot — no matter the cost or difficulty we face.
We thank you for your understanding and we appreciate your loyalty. As we’ve done quite a few times in the past, we will get through these tough times by all working together.
