Impact of Extreme Cold Weather on Monthly Utility Bill

Dear Orange City Municipal Utilities Customer

During this past month we have experienced some extremely cold weather that will impact your monthly utility bill. With these frigid temperatures, wholesale natural gas prices have increased drastically – in particular for the dates of February 13 through 16.

Orange City Municipal Utilities (OCMU) was able to lock in a favorable price in advance for a large portion of our winter natural gas supply. However, OCMU is not able to lock in prices in advance for the fluctuating daily peak usages.

Wholesale market prices and weather are beyond the control of OCMU, and because of this significant price increase, you will see a related increase in your utility bill for this month. OCMU is not increasing delivery cost of bringing natural gas to your home or business.

Your February utility bill, that is due in mid-March will include a flyer with details on how OCMU is planning to work with our customers to pay for these much higher than usual bills over a 6 month period.

You are also welcome to contact Mid-Sioux Opportunity at 712-722-3611 for possible assistance. Orange City residents are also encouraged to contribute to the Project Share Program administered by Mid-Sioux to assist other local residents with energy assistance.

We continue to encourage you to take steps to conserve both natural gas and electricity by reducing energy costs. Steps for energy conservation can be found here.