Written by Michael Vrtis, President of Realgy Energy Services in response to the USA Today article “Arctic blasts create record demand for natural gas”

The laws of supply and demand actually work; cold weather broke a 20-year record, energy consumption skyrocketed, and the prices went up.

Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois

Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois

How high?

The wholesale costs for January 2014 for deliveries into the Chicago market:

  • Natural gas went from about $4.40 to nearly $18.00
  • Electricity settled at over $0.750, where it is normally around $.035

Supply went up as the weather caused record energy demand and prices subsequently followed. No one went cold as supply kept up to demand; however, without advanced planning, you paid a lot more.

Realgy’s experience goes back to when we set the previous low temperature record. We were prepared for this eventuality, so our customers will pay far less with the use of Realgy’s ManagedPriceTM, storage, and PriceWatchTM.

Any good news?

Groundhogs Day on February 2, 2014 started with a shadow, so we should see 6 more weeks…but we are halfway through winter!

Check out the article in USA Today: “Arctic blasts create record demand for natural gas”