How We Rate Natural Gas Providers

Our Methodology for Evaluating Natural Gas Providers

We built this ranking to help households make clear, confident choices in deregulated natural-gas markets. It combines objective, public data with real-world customer signals, then translates everything into a single, easy-to-compare score.

What we evaluate

We score each marketer on six dimensions that matter most to shoppers:

1. Price & Value: Current fixed-rate offers (¢/therm) and the monthly customer service fee. We compare supply charges only and exclude pass-through charges, since those are the same no matter which marketer you choose.
2. Fees & Fine Print: Early-termination fees, intro-rate step-ups, deposit rules, autopay/paperless requirements, and any bill-credit conditions. Transparent, consumer-friendly terms score higher.
3. Reliability & Complaints: Recent complaint/contact activity reported to state regulators. Lower, sustained complaint levels improve the score.
4. Plan Breadth: Choice of fixed/variable terms, budget or flat-bill options, and availability of renewable/RNG add-ons.
5. Independent Trust Signals: BBB rating/accreditation and trajectory of recent BBB complaint resolution.
6. Customer Sentiment: Aggregated, recent sentiment across public forums and review platforms (with moderation to reduce outlier impact).

How we score

• Each dimension is normalized to a 0–100 scale using min–max normalization across the marketers we evaluate for the current period.
• We then apply weights and compute a composite score:

Weights

• Price & Value: 35%
• Fees & Fine Print: 15%
• Reliability & Complaints: 20%
• Plan Breadth: 10%
• Independent Trust Signals (BBB): 10%
• Customer Sentiment: 10%

Ties are broken (in order) by: lower early-termination fees, lower monthly service fees, and then lower recent complaint levels.

Data sources & refresh cadence

• Regulatory & Pricing: We use the latest monthly marketer pricing (fixed-term offers and disclosed monthly fees) and the most recent marketer complaint/contacts data.
• Company Disclosures: Each marketer’s plan pages and Terms/Rate Disclosures for ETF amounts, fees, and conditions.
• Trust & Sentiment: BBB rating/accreditation and a rolling read of recent customer discussions/reviews (e.g., state/city consumer forums). We look for repeated patterns, not one-off anecdotes.

Update schedule

• Pricing & fees: Monthly (and sooner if a provider posts a major change).
• Complaints/contacts: Monthly, aligned with the latest published period.
• BBB & sentiment: Quarterly, with interim checks if there’s a spike in issues.
• Rankings are timestamped and reflect the data available at the time of publication.

Important nuances

• Your usage matters. Our “Price & Value” snapshot compares commonly shopped fixed terms and disclosed monthly fees. Actual bills vary with usage, weather, pass-throughs, and local taxes.
• Promos change fast. Marketers frequently rotate introductory rates and bill credits. Always read the full plan terms before enrolling.
• Sentiment ≠ science. We treat forums and reviews as directional, not definitive. They help surface friction points (e.g., renewal surprises), but they don’t overrule hard data.

Editorial standards & disclosures

• Independence: Providers cannot buy a higher rank. Our editorial team determines weights, scoring rules, and final placement.
• Affiliate relationships: If you enroll through some links, we may earn a commission. Commissions never change our scoring.
• Errors & updates: If you spot outdated info, tell us, we’ll verify and correct quickly and note material changes.

How to use this ranking: Start with the top two or three providers for your ZIP code, compare fixed-rate offers and monthly fees, check the ETF and renewal terms, and make sure the plan fits your household’s usage pattern. Then enroll, knowing your state’s rescission window gives you a short, penalty-free period to change your mind if needed.