Understanding My Bill

Understanding your natural gas bill.

The new NW Natural bill is arriving soon!

We've been working on a design to make your bill simpler to read and added new details that answer the most common questions. This summer on your bill, you will see:

A new graph that shows your energy use for the current and previous years, so you know how your energy use is trending over time.
Information that highlights important differences between bills, such as changes in the number of days in a billing cycle and average temperature.
At a glance, if you used less or more energy than the month before, letting you gauge the results of your energy-saving efforts.

Stay tuned to this page for more information.

Questions about your bill?

Starting Nov. 1, 2023, bills for most customers went down in the short-term—mostly due to global gas prices stabilizing, as well as efficient use of NW Natural's storage facilities and pipeline network. However, new costs from new state-directed climate programs in both Oregon and Washington may impact your bills in 2024. Get the details on this year’s rates.

For billing inquiries, please send us an email or contact customer service at 800-422-4012, 7am to 6pm, Monday through Friday. We can also assist you in additional languages by interpreter.

Common billing terms

Billing factor

Late payment charge

Payment due date

Therms

Units of Gas

How your gas bill is calculated

Our rates are regulated and approved by the Public Utility Commission of Oregon (OPUC) and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC). The current charges on your bill are based on up to five components.

Monthly service or minimum charge

Gas usage cost

In both Washington and Oregon, this charge is a combination of the gas commodity cost or the cost of natural gas, the transportation cost of delivering natural gas to NW Natural’s system, and the cost of bringing this natural gas to your home or business on NW Natural’s system. This charge also supports variable costs related to meters, meter reading, service line maintenance, billing, customer service and other costs that are required for service. In addition, this charge may include costs and credits for programs and adjustments as approved by the OPUC and WUTC.
The amount of natural gas you use is multiplied by the per therm rate for these charges as stated in your tariff rate schedule.

Smart Energy carbon offset program charge

Local taxes

Public purpose charge

For Oregon only, this surcharge is collected to fund public purposes activities to be administered through one or more independent entities. Public purposes activities include, but are not limited to, energy-efficiency programs, market-transformation programs, residential low-income energy-efficiency programs, and residential low-income bill payment-assistance programs.

For every dollar you paid on your gas bill, your money went to:

Overall, about 90% of your bill goes toward the cost of gas, delivery and the services provided to you as a customer, with the remaining 10% going toward regulated rate of return on NW Natural’s investment in the gas system.

Natural gas rates over time

Despite this period of extraordinary market conditions,
NW Natural customers will still be paying less than they did 15 years ago for their natural gas bills.

Discover More

No-cost, low-cost efficiency tips.

Read tips that can help you improve energy efficiency and lower your monthly bill.

Free weatherization: see if you qualify.

Free weatherization services, including insulation, can lower your monthly energy bill.

No power? No problem.

Keep the heat on with natural gas generators and many cooktops, fireplaces and water heaters.

Register your account online.

View and pay bills, see gas use, and compare use over time.