Why does my bill amount change every month?
There are many factors that go into how your bill is calculated. Some of the factors that may change your bill each month include:
- The weather and seasons (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter) - Colder days usually mean you may be using more gas to keep your home warm
- Days in your billing cycle
- A change in lifestyle where you may be using more or less gas compared to previous months
Click the link below to login to our My Account portal and view the My Usage page to compare your usage, the weather and more to prior months.
How to read your Columbia Gas bill
Our bill was designed with you in mind. The interactive bill* below allows you to get a better understanding of the features and charges on your bill so you know you're getting the value you deserve out of your Columbia Gas service.
Click or tap on the bill sections below for details
Why is your account number important?
Your account number is one of the most important pieces of information on your bill. Having your account number handy when you contact us makes it easier to verify your account and identity for security reasons.
You can also use your account number to create a self-service account in our My Account portal where you can manage your service and account. You can do things like:
- Make a payment
- View your usage history
- Enroll in Paperless billing, AutoPay, or Budget Plan
- Manage your billing & payment and outage alerts
- Manage your email preferences
- Start, Stop or Move service
We're here for you
Contact us immediately for gas leaks or odors of gas. We're available 24/7 for emergencies. Get to a safe place and call 1-800-432-9515 to report an emergency.
Visit us online at ColumbiaGasKY.com to make payments and access your account.
Mail payments to:
Columbia Gas of Kentucky
P.O. BOX 4660
Carol Stream IL 60197-4660
There are also authorized payment locations throughout our service territory where you can pay your bill. Find an authorized payment location.
How to detect natural gas
If you smell a rotten-egg-like odor, you could have a gas leak. Natural gas is naturally colorless and odorless. We add an odorant called mercaptan to natural gas, which gives it a distinctive smell, similar to rotten eggs or sulfur.
In some cases, you can also identify natural gas by sight or sound. If you see blowing dirt, bubbling water or dead vegetation, or hear a hissing or roaring sound, that could be caused by natural gas.
Follow these tips if you detect natural gas:
1. Stop what you’re doing
Don't smoke or light a match. Don't open the windows. Don’t use anything that could cause a spark, like a phone, light switch, appliance or flashlight. Don’t start your car or use your garage door to leave.
2. Leave the area immediately
If you're inside, get out immediately. If you're outside, leave the area quickly.
3. Call 911 and us
From a safe location, away from the building, call 911 and our emergency number at
Always call 8-1-1 before you dig
If you're planning a home or landscaping project, call Kentucky 811 at 8-1-1 at least two business days before digging. A representative will mark the approximate location of underground utility lines for free.
Account profile
The Account Profile section of your bill will show you the name of the primary account holder, Account Number, Service/Mailing Address, and Type of Customer.
The Type of Customer section is an easy place to see what billing & payment programs you are currently enrolled in, such as CHOICE, Paperless billing, AutoPay or Budget Plan.
Login to our My Account portal to make a payment or manage your enrollments in our billing & payment programs (AutoPay, Paperless, Budget, Payment Plans, etc).
Account Summary
The Account Summary section of your bill gives you information on:
- Previous amount due from your last bill
- Recent payments received
- Budget plan amount (if applicable)
- Current balance
- Charges for gas service this period
- Current charges due with due date
This bill section will also tell you your AutoPay payment and payment date, budget plan information (if applicable), and payment plan information (if applicable) along with other financial information related to your bill.
Stay in the know
The message board on your bill is helpful to stay in the loop with special programs, programs and offerings at Columbia Gas. The message board will also let you know if there may be any important changes coming to your account or at Columbia Gas. This message board may change each month, so it's important to read it for every bill you get.
View your energy usage
This section shows you the 13 month usage history at your service address. Your usage will change throughout the year based on your general activity at home and seasonal weather.
You can also login to the My Account portal to view your energy use online.
How to make a payment
We offer a variety of payment methods for you to pay your bill. You can pay your bill using the following options:
- Website
- Mobile App
- Over the phone at 1-866-694-1828
If you need to mail in your check, fold the bill at the perforation, detach and return the coupon with your payment to:
Columbia Gas of Kentucky
P.O. Box 4660
Carol Stream, IL 60197-4660
Why is your account number important?
Your account number is one of the most important pieces of information on your bill. Having your account number handy when you contact us makes it easier to verify your account and identity for security reasons.
You can also use your account number to create a self-service account in our My Account portal where you can manage your service and account. You can do things like:
- Make a payment
- View your usage history
- Enroll in Paperless billing, AutoPay, or Budget Plan
- Manage your billing & payment and outage alerts
- Manage your email preferences
- Start, Stop or Move service
Helpful definitions
We want to ensure you know what you are paying for on you monthly bill statement. Check out the glossary of terms below to help you understand the detailed charges on your bill.
Customer Charge - The Customer Charge covers a portion of the costs incurred to ensure natural gas service is available to you. This is the same amount with each bill.
Gas Delivery Charge - This is the non-gas portion of your bill. It covers the transportation and delivery of gas to your home. The charges for these services are regulated and these services must be purchased from Columbia Gas.
Gas Supply Cost - If you participate in the Choice program, this is the cost of the gas charged to you by your supplier. If Columbia Gas is purchasing the gas for you, this line item is the cost of the gas itself. There is no mark-up or profit margin in the charges. Columbia Gas purchases the gas and resells it to you at the same price.
Safety Modification and Replacement Program Rider - This rider is a component used to replace aging gas lines and improve the safety and reliability of the gas distribution system, including the low pressure gas distribution system safety enhancement program. This is the same amount with each bill.
Research and Development Factor - Funds collected through this rider are forwarded to the Gas Technology Institute to fund specific projects that will benefit customers and local distribution companies, like pipeline coating projects designed to reduce pipeline corrosion and improve safety. This amount will be recalculated annually and will include a true-up for the prior year.
Franchise Fee - Columbia Gas and other utilities pay a franchise fee to some cities we serve in order to do business in those communities. This amount may vary by city.
Energy Assistance Program Surcharge - This is a charge to help support the Energy Assistance Program. This program is designed to help customers in need. This is the same amount with each bill.
Energy Efficiency Conservation Program Rider - This charge will help provide energy audits and incentives for high efficiency furnaces for residential customers. This is the same amount with each bill.
School Tax - Utility companies are required by law to collect a Utility Gross Receipts License Tax for Schools, commonly referred to as the School Tax, from their customers and remit these funds to the Kentucky Department of Revenue for distribution to appropriate school districts. Not all school districts have imposed a School Tax. Districts that have imposed a School Tax established the rate charged in their district.
Weather Normalization Adjustment - The Weather Normalization Adjustment (WNA) is a method of adjusting customers is to reflect normal, rather than actual, weather conditions during the months of December through April. The WNA has a leveling effect on customers bills by reducing bills in months with colder-than-normal temperatures when customers usage tends to be higher and increasing bills in months with warmer-than-normal temperatures when customers gas usage tends to be lower. As a result, customers are less impacted by large monthly swings in their gas bills which can occur during the heating season as a result of increased usage during colder weather.
Legal information
As a Columbia Gas customer, you can find legal information on our websites or by sending us a letter.
Rate Schedule
Information about rate schedules is available upon request or at ColumbiaGasKY.com
Bankruptcy Notices
Mail to:
Columbia Gas of Kentucky Revenue Recovery
P.O. Box 117
Columbus, OH 43216.
Other Correspondence (except payments)
Mail to:
Columbia Gas of Kentucky
P.O. Box 2318
Columbus, OH 43216-2318
View your energy usage
This section of your bill will show you the meter readings, number of days you were billed for, and a three month usage comparison. The weather typically impacts how much energy you use, so we include the monthly average temperature to help you understand why you used the energy you were charged for.
Detail charges information
We want to ensure you know what you are paying for on you monthly bill statement. Check out the glossary of terms below to help you understand the detailed charges on your bill.
Customer Charge - The Customer Charge covers a portion of the costs incurred to ensure natural gas service is available to you. This is the same amount with each bill.
Gas Delivery Charge - This is the non-gas portion of your bill. It covers the transportation and delivery of gas to your home. The charges for these services are regulated and these services must be purchased from Columbia Gas.
Gas Supply Cost - If you participate in the Choice program, this is the cost of the gas charged to you by your supplier. If Columbia Gas is purchasing the gas for you, this line item is the cost of the gas itself. There is no mark-up or profit margin in the charges. Columbia Gas purchases the gas and resells it to you at the same price.
Safety Modification and Replacement Program Rider - This rider is a component used to replace aging gas lines and improve the safety and reliability of the gas distribution system, including the low pressure gas distribution system safety enhancement program. This is the same amount with each bill.
Research and Development Factor - Funds collected through this rider are forwarded to the Gas Technology Institute to fund specific projects that will benefit customers and local distribution companies, like pipeline coating projects designed to reduce pipeline corrosion and improve safety. This amount will be recalculated annually and will include a true-up for the prior year.
Franchise Fee - Columbia Gas and other utilities pay a franchise fee to some cities we serve in order to do business in those communities. This amount may vary by city.
Energy Assistance Program Surcharge - This is a charge to help support the Energy Assistance Program. This program is designed to help customers in need. This is the same amount with each bill.
Energy Efficiency Conservation Program Rider - This charge will help provide energy audits and incentives for high efficiency furnaces for residential customers. This is the same amount with each bill.
School Tax - Utility companies are required by law to collect a Utility Gross Receipts License Tax for Schools, commonly referred to as the School Tax, from their customers and remit these funds to the Kentucky Department of Revenue for distribution to appropriate school districts. Not all school districts have imposed a School Tax. Districts that have imposed a School Tax established the rate charged in their district.
Weather Normalization Adjustment - The Weather Normalization Adjustment (WNA) is a method of adjusting customers is to reflect normal, rather than actual, weather conditions during the months of December through April. The WNA has a leveling effect on customers bills by reducing bills in months with colder-than-normal temperatures when customers usage tends to be higher and increasing bills in months with warmer-than-normal temperatures when customers gas usage tends to be lower. As a result, customers are less impacted by large monthly swings in their gas bills which can occur during the heating season as a result of increased usage during colder weather.
Keep your contact information updated
Keeping your contact information updated is really important. By providing Columbia Gas a telephone number, it enables us to call you about your utility service, future service appointments and other important information related to your account. By providing your phone number, you're agreeing to receive autodialed and prerecorded voice calls. Please notify us if you wish to opt out or if you no longer use this number.
Donate to WinterCare
WinterCare, the Columbia Gas fuel fund program, is a fund of last resort for households who have exhausted all other sources of assistance and still have trouble paying their heating bills. The fund is administered by the Community Action Council and is supported through donations from Columbia Gas customers and matching contributions from Columbia Gas.
Your WinterCare donations are tax-deductible.
Adjusting your bill based on weather
The Weather Normalization Adjustment (WNA) is a method of billing based on “normal” weather approved by the Kentucky Public Service Commission. Today, we utilize 20-year average temperature information provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to define normal weather and the Degree Days Deficiencies method to determine heating requirements. This recognized standard enables Columbia to remove the effects of abnormal weather on the delivery portion of your bill during the heating season (December through April).
How does it work?
The delivery charge usage is adjusted to reflect “normal” weather rather than actual weather. So, if the weather is colder than normal, the WNA is a credit that reduces the amount of the delivery charge. If it’s warmer than normal, the WNA is a debit that increases the amount of delivery charge. Over time, your bill should total the same as it would without the application the WNA, which simply provides a more even method of collecting delivery costs.
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A video about what you can learn from your bill.
A fully regulated energy provider
We're regulated by the Kentucky Public Service Commission and state and federal agencies. These organizations approve rate schedules and terms that govern our operations.
