Nicor Gas is the largest natural gas distribution company in northern Illinois. Their largest subsidiary, previously known as Northern Illinois Gas, serves over two million customers.
Discover residential accounts, pricing and rate plans, ways to save, energy efficiency programs and help paying your utility bill with Nicor Gas. Plus keep up-to-date with their latest news and updates.
Residential
Natural gas provides families with the energy to cook meals, heat homes and warm water efficiently and create a cleaner environment. It is the safe, economical, reliable and environmentally-friendly energy choice of nearly 2.3 million residential, public sector and commercial customers across over 650 communities in northern Illinois.
Natural gas prices fluctuate daily, making the cost of natural gas (the Gas Supply Charge) the majority of your monthly bill. Nicor Gas files its supply price each month with the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Customers also have the option of selecting an alternate supplier through Choose Energy marketplace; rates and plan options can be found there as well.
Energy efficient upgrades can help lower your bill, with rebates available when working with one of the program’s approved contractors to install air sealing, insulation or duct sealing upgrades. Discover more.
Commercial
Nicor login offers commercial entities rebates, assessments and custom incentives for energy efficiency projects of all kinds – helping businesses, schools, nonprofits and government agencies reduce energy use while saving money on natural gas bills through efficiency measures.
NICOR successfully expanded by purchasing local gas utilities and increasing underground storage capabilities, while diversifying into various other industries including oil and gas exploration through NICOR Oil and Gas as well as Tropical Shipping which operates a fleet of container ships between Florida and Central American ports.
Illinois deregulated its electricity and natural gas markets during this time, giving customers the option of selecting their provider (known as an Alternative Retail Gas Supplier (ARGS). CUB monitors these suppliers’ offer letters and sales tactics but their pricing structures are unregulated by the Illinois Commerce Commission, meaning most alternative suppliers had higher supply rates than Nicor.
Industrial
Nicor is a proud investor-owned natural gas distribution company dedicated to serving its communities responsibly. Their aim is to deliver reliable, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable natural gas services for homes, businesses and industrial clients.
By building on energy efficiency as our foundation, we provide rebates, assessments and custom incentives that encourage customers to take smart steps towards saving. Working closely with various commercial and residential organizations, we show customers the value of using energy-efficient products and practices when building new projects or upgrading existing equipment or facilities.
The Company also invests in nonregulated business ventures, including cargo container leasing, affordable housing tax credit funds and engineering consulting services for natural gas transmission systems and pipelines. These investments take advantage of its strengths while providing positive returns and cash flow.
Government
Deregulated markets like Illinois offer customers the freedom to select a natural gas provider; however, they cannot select who operates and maintains the pipelines supplying energy directly to their homes or businesses – that’s where Nicor Gas comes in.
Under Gauthier’s direction, NI-Gas became one of the industry’s premier moneymakers, boasting an average return on total capital between 1971 and 1976 of 7.1 percent. Beginning in the early ’70s, it divested itself of contract drilling operations, river barges, mining subsidiaries and mineral production operations to become more lean and focused.
Residential customers whose income falls at or below 400% of federal poverty guidelines may qualify for one-time annual grants administered by the Salvation Army that can be applied toward past-due utility balances. Funded through direct contributions from Nicor Gas employees as well as via donations made directly through gas bill payments from customers, this program may help eligible residential customers reduce utility balances quickly. Learn more about Nicor’s Sharing Program here.