Days of cheap heat are over, experts say

Gas customers dial down to cope with costs

MICHIGAN – Cindy Symonik and her husband, Mark, took many of the usual steps.

They closed various vents, put glass doors on their fireplace, had extra insulation installed and set the thermostat at 65 in their 2,200-square-foot home in Pittsfield Township.

Yet the Symoniks, who had paid $182 to DTE Energy for electric and gas service in November, saw the bill for rise to $427 in December and to $448 this month. For gas alone, they paid $320.51 in their most recent bill.

“I knew it was coming, but I didn’t realize it was going to be this expensive,” Cindy Symonik said. “It kills your household budget.”

Ann Arbor News