Natural gas is an important part of everyday life. So it's nice to know that you
can rely on North Shore Gas to keep your
business comfortable.
You can also count on us to provide the information you need to manage your energy costs.
A good way to start is by understanding the rates you see on your monthly natural gas bill.
Available rates
- Rate 2 - General Service: For general service to multi-family,
commercial and industrial customers using an average of 41,000 therms or less per month.
- Rate 4 - Large Volume Demand Service: For large volume
business customers using an average of more than 41,000 therms per month.
- Rate 5 - Electric Generation: For businesses that generate
in excess of 25 MW of electricity using natural gas. For more information,
please email Gas Transportation Services or call 800-264-8026.
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Summary of charges for Rate 2
Sales Customers are customers that purchase natural gas directly from
North Shore Gas under Rate 2 – General
Service only. Transportation Customers are customers who take service under Rate 2 and
purchase gas from an alternate supplier under Rider CFY (Choices for You), Rider FST
(Full Standby Transportation) or Rider SST (Subscription Storage Transportation).
The following charges appear on your monthly gas bill:
Delivery charge
The delivery charge is made up of a fixed charge, volumetric distribution charges
and a storage charge.
Fixed Charge
The Fixed Charge does not change based on the amount of natural gas you use.
It includes a Customer Charge and charges set by the State of Illinois to fund weatherization,
energy assistance, renewable energy grants, and adjustments allowed by Illinois Public Acts 96-0033 and 99-0906.
Customer charge
The customer charge covers many of the fixed costs to deliver safe and reliable natural gas.
These costs exist regardless of how much gas a customer uses. Fixed costs include expenses related to:
- Natural gas mains and other infrastructure that is required to deliver gas
- Labor required to maintain the gas main
- Labor and supplies to read the meter
- Qualified people to respond to gas emergencies
Volumetric distribution charge
The volumetric distribution charge on your bill varies each month based on how many therms of gas you use.
Storage charge
The storage charge covers some of the costs associated with the storage of natural gas.
Summary of charges
| Type of customer |
Meter class |
Customer charge* |
| Sales |
Meter Class 1 (700 CFH or less) |
$31.04 per month |
| Meter Class 2 (701 - 2,300 CFH) |
$77.04 per month |
| Meter Class 3 (Over 2,300 CFH) |
$150.06 per month |
| Transportation |
Meter Class 1 (700 CFH or less) |
$31.04 per month |
| Meter Class 2 (701 - 2,300 CFH) |
$77.04 per month |
| Meter Class 3 (Over 2,300 CFH) |
$150.06 per month |
* Excludes charges set by the State of Illinois to fund weatherization,
energy assistance, renewable energy grants, and adjustments allowed by Illinois Public Acts 96-0033 and 99-0906.
| Volumetric distribution charge (Sales and Transportation Customers) |
| First 3,000 therms |
$0.12801 |
| Over 3,000 therms |
$0.10960 |
| Storage charge** |
For sales customers
Storage service charge |
$0.00868/therm |
For transportation customers
Storage banking charge |
$0.00050/capacity therm |
** Storage charge is subject to change in June and August.
Gas charge
The gas charge is for the purchase, transportation and storage of gas, as
well as the management of gas supplies for our customers. This charge
includes the actual price we pay to purchase gas from suppliers, including
the costs of interstate pipeline transportation and storage services (these
charges vary each month, depending on the market price of natural gas.)
| Month |
Price per therm |
| October 2025 |
$0.3648 |
| September 2025 |
$0.3417 |
| October 2024 |
$0.3260 |
Note: North Shore Gas
does not profit from the price of gas, which appears on your bill as the
Gas Charge. This charge reflects North Shore Gas'
actual cost for gas.
See a list of Historical Gas Charges.
North Shore Gas Energy Efficiency Program
Each month, your bill may include a charge
that pays for the costs related to energy efficiency and on-bill financing programs
mandated by Illinois Public Act 96-0033. The programs offer incentives for customers
to make energy-saving improvements to their businesses.
Environmental charge
A charge that pays for the cleanup from past manufactured gas operations.
Uncollectible expense adjustment – gas costs
This adjustment applies to Sales Customers only. A factor of 0.0055 applied to the
gas charge on your bill to pay for gas supply-related uncollectible accounts expenses.
Franchise cost adjustment (Rider FCA)
A charge for municipal franchise agreements. Applies to certain municipalities in the
North Shore Gas service territory. This charge will
change annually in May for each applicable municipality.
Volume balancing adjustment
This tool separates the amount we charge to deliver gas from customers' energy
use and taxes. Generally, when weather is colder than normal, customers will
receive a credit and when it's warmer than normal, customers will receive a
charge. The adjustment relates only to the cost for delivering gas to you. It does
not in any way affect charges for the gas you use.
Governmental agency compensation adjustment (Rider GCA)
A charge that pays for the fees and costs related to meeting the requirements of local
governmental bodies. Applies to certain municipalities in the
North Shore Gas service territory. This charge will
change annually in January for each applicable municipality.
Storage gas charge
A per capacity therm charge assessed to Choices for You Transportation customers and Subscription Storage Transportation customers to pay for gas cost-related storage expenses.
Low Income Discount adjustment
The Low Income Discount adjustment pays for the Low Income Discount credit, which pays a percentage of a qualified customer’s bill. This monthly charge appears on all bills, whether you are on the program or not. The Low Income Discount program was implemented in 2024 as required by the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Taxes
- Municipal Utility Tax: Imposed by some municipalities on current charges before taxes.
- State Tax (Illinois Gross Revenue Tax): mandated by the
state of Illinois to fund the Illinois Commerce Commission.
- State Gas Revenue Tax: either 5 percent of current charges before
taxes or 2.4 cents per therm, whichever is lower.
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Summary of charges for Rate 4
Sales Customers are customers that purchase natural gas directly from
North Shore Gas under Rate 4 – Large Volume Demand Service only.
Transportation Customers are customers who take service under Rate 4 and purchase gas
from an alternate supplier under Rider FST (Full Standby Transportation) or Rider SST
(Subscription Storage Transportation).
The following charges appear on your monthly gas bill:
Delivery charge
The delivery charge is made up of a fixed charge, demand charge, volumetric distribution
charge and a storage charge.
Fixed Charge
The Fixed Charge does not change based on the amount of natural gas you use.
It includes a Customer Charge and charges set by the State of Illinois to fund weatherization,
energy assistance, renewable energy grants, and adjustments allowed by Illinois Public Acts 96-0033 and 99-0906.
The customer charge covers many of the fixed costs to deliver safe and reliable natural gas.
These costs exist regardless of how much gas a customer uses. Fixed costs include expenses related to:
- Natural gas mains and other infrastructure that is required to deliver gas
- Labor required to maintain the gas main
- Labor and supplies to read the meter
- Qualified people to respond to gas emergencies
Demand charge
A monthly charge of $0.75527 per therm of Billing Demand. The Billing Demand is your highest daily demand
that has occurred during the peak months of December, January and February in the most recent 12-month period.
This charge does not vary based on how much natural gas you use during the month.
Volumetric distribution charge
The volumetric distribution charge on your bill varies each month based on how many therms of gas you use.
Storage charge
The storage charge covers some of the costs associated with the storage of natural gas.
Summary of charges
| Type of customer |
Customer charge* |
Demand charge |
Distribution charge |
| Rate 4 sales using less than 4,000,000 therms in a year |
$297.36 per month |
$0.75527 per therm |
$0.02222 per therm |
| Rate 4 transportation using less than 4,000,000 therms in a year |
$297.36 per month |
$0.75527 per therm |
$0.02222 per therm |
* Excludes charges set by the State of Illinois to fund weatherization,
energy assistance, renewable energy grants, and adjustments allowed by Illinois Public Acts 96-0033 and 99-0906.
| Storage charge** |
For sales customers
Storage service charge |
$0.00868/therm |
For transportation customers
Storage banking charge |
$0.00050/capacity therm |
** Storage charge is subject to change in June and August.
Gas charge
The gas charge is for the purchase, transportation and storage of gas, as well as the management of gas
supplies for our customers. This charge includes the actual price we pay to purchase gas from suppliers,
including the costs of interstate pipeline transportation and storage services (these charges vary each month,
depending on the market price of natural gas.)
| Month |
Price per therm |
| October 2025 |
$0.3648 |
| September 2025 |
$0.3417 |
| October 2024 |
$0.3260 |
Note: North Shore Gas
does not profit from the price of gas, which appears on your bill as the Gas Charge.
This charge reflects North Shore Gas'
actual cost for gas.
See a list of Historical Gas Charges.
North Shore Gas Energy Efficiency Program
Each month, your bill may include a charge that pays for the costs related to energy efficiency
and on-bill financing programs mandated by Illinois Public Act 96-0033. The programs offer incentives
for customers to make energy-saving improvements to their businesses.
Environmental charge
A charge that pays for the cleanup from past manufactured gas operations.
Uncollectible expense adjustment – gas costs
This adjustment applies to Sales Customers only. A factor of 0.0000 applied to the gas
charge on your bill to pay for gas supply-related uncollectible accounts expenses.
Franchise cost adjustment (Rider FCA)
A charge for municipal franchise agreements. Applies to certain municipalities in the
North Shore Gas service territory. This charge will change annually in
May for each applicable municipality.
Governmental agency compensation adjustment (Rider GCA)
A charge that pays for the fees and costs related to meeting the requirements of local governmental bodies.
Applies to certain municipalities in the North Shore Gas service territory. This charge will
change annually in January for each applicable municipality.
Low Income Discount adjustment
The Low Income Discount adjustment pays for the Low Income Discount credit, which pays a percentage of a qualified customer’s bill. This monthly charge appears on all bills, whether you are on the program or not. The Low Income Discount program was implemented in 2024 as required by the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Taxes
- Municipal Utility Tax: Imposed by some municipalities on current charges before taxes.
- State Tax (Illinois Gross Revenue Tax): mandated by the
state of Illinois to fund the Illinois Commerce Commission.
- State Gas Revenue Tax: either 5 percent of current charges before
taxes or 2.4 cents per therm, whichever is lower.
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