PSE&G announced yesterday that it is providing a two-month bill credit for its residential gas customers that will cut the typical monthly bill by about 33 percent in both November and December.

The bill credit of 35 cents per therm, including NJ Sales and Use Tax (SUT), will reduce the current supply rate of approximately 54 cents to 19 cents per therm including SUT for usage in November and December.

With the bill credit factored in, a typical residential heating customer using 106 therms in November and 160 therms in December would see a reduction in their two-month bill to approximately $189 from $282 for a savings of about $93. Depending on meter reading schedules, many customers will see some of the credit in November and December, with the remainder in January.

This latest action by PSE&G is in addition to nine decreases in a row for residential customers since January 2009 that saves the typical customer about $674 per year. A 15-cent per therm bill credit for February 2012 usage provided an additional $24 in savings.

“We’re pleased that we can provide this substantial credit to our customers, especially at this time of year,” said Jorge Cardenas, PSE&G vice president of asset management and centralized services. “This bill credit will return money to customers as temperatures are dropping and they strive to keep their winter heating bills affordable.

“Since 2009, PSE&G’s residential gas customers have benefitted from steady reductions in the cost of natural gas,” Cardenas said. “Annual bills for residential heating customers have dropped about 39 percent as a result. Our close proximity to the abundance of gas supply in the Marcellus Shale Formation in Pennsylvania, plus our transportation and storage capabilities and the way we manage our pipeline contracts, enabled us to seize this opportunity to once again reduce costs for our customers.”

In addition to the two-month bill credit, here are some tips to help reduce costs even further:

• Install a programmable thermostat that you can set to automatically lower room temperatures when rooms are not in use and also at bedtime, if health conditions permit.
• Use caulking or weather stripping to seal holes and cracks around windows, doors and walls.
• Keep warm air inside. Make sure all windows are closed tightly and locked. Raise shades and open curtains during the day. Close shades and curtains at night.
• Take advantage of PSE&G’s free Home Energy Toolkit (HET) to find out where your energy dollars are going, compare month-to-month energy costs and receive energy saving tips specific to your home profile, bills and weather. The HET is available through My Account at pseg.com.
• Visit pseg.com/saveenergy for more energy saving information and to learn about a variety of payment options to help manage energy costs.