Customers urged to stay connected if they are behind on bills

Residential heating bills were more than $100 lower this winter

North Shore Gas is urging customers who are behind on their energy bills to reach out as soon as possible to avoid disconnection.

The state’s winter residential disconnection moratorium expired at the start of April.

If a customer establishes and maintains a payment plan, they are not at risk for disconnection. North Shore Gas works with customers year-round to offer payment plans and help with energy assistance, officials said.

With lower natural gas prices and warmer weather, the typical residential customer’s heating bill was $105 less this winter than last winter.

Customers behind on their bills can go to northshoregasdelivery.com or use the North Shore Gas app to set up payment arrangements and connect with financial and energy assistance options. They also can call (866) 556-6004.

To help customers with lower incomes, financial assistance is available through the North Shore Gas Share the Warmth program. Additional assistance is available through the federal government, which is making $177 million available for customers in Illinois.

However, scammers often try to take advantage of the end of the moratorium. Scammers may pretend to be from North Shore Gas. They may even manipulate caller ID to display “North Shore Gas” or use a recording that sounds like it’s from the company.

Scammers will threaten to turn off customers’ energy in a short amount of time and demand immediate payment — often with a prepaid debit card, third-party digital payment app like Zelle or Venmo, or unusual payment method such as bitcoin. These are all warning signs. If customers are ever in doubt about a phone call, they should hang up and call North Shore Gas, the company warns.

Additional tips are available online. Visit the North Shore Gas website for a checklist and more ways to save.