The spot price of natural gas has increased significantly throughout the nation over the last several months.

This current increase in wholesale natural gas prices is primarily due to increased demand resulting from colder than expected weather and low storage levels. Domestic production is down which also puts upward pressure on prices.

CenterPoint Energy Arkla is committed to providing the best-priced supply of natural gas to meet the needs of its customers. We purchase natural gas using a mix of fixed price supply contracts and current month pricing supply contracts which creates more stable prices and reduces the effect of dramatic price increases. CenterPoint Energy Arkla also has natural gas in storage, which also helps minimize price volatility.

March bills for residential customers of CenterPoint Energy Arkla will reflect an increase in natural gas prices. The increase in a customer's bill will vary according to the customer's usage and location. Customers of CenterPoint Energy Arkla pay the same cost of gas that the company does, no more and no less.

  Here are some things customers can do to help manage this increase:

  --  Be conservative about your thermostat setting.  Set your thermostat at
      68 degrees and lower if you will be away from home for a while.  For
      heating, you can save about 3 percent of your heating costs for every
      degree the thermostat is set lower than 75 degrees.
  --  Enroll in average billing and spread your payments evenly throughout
      the year to avoid winter bill peaks.
  --  Have your heating equipment checked to make sure it is running
      efficiently.
  --  Change air filters often.  Lint and dirt can restrict airflow and
      increase operating costs by up to 10 percent.
  --  Check ductwork in your attic to make sure it has not become
      disconnected and is not obstructed.

CenterPoint Energy Arkla encourages customers to not risk their health and to use their heating systems. If a customer is having difficulty paying their natural gas bill, we encourage them to contact CenterPoint Energy Arkla at 1-800-332-7552 to discuss payment arrangements.

CenterPoint Energy Arkla serves more than 720,000 customers in 621 communities throughout Arkansas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. , headquartered in Houston, Texas, is a domestic energy delivery company that includes electric transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution and sales, interstate pipeline and gathering operations, and more than 14,000 megawatts of power generation in Texas. The company serves nearly five million customers primarily in Arkansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Assets total nearly $19 billion. CenterPoint Energy became the new holding company for the regulated operations of the former Reliant Energy, Incorporated in August 2002. With more than 11,000 employees, CenterPoint Energy and its predecessor companies have been in business for more than 130 years.

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SOURCE: CenterPoint Energy Arkla