Energy Cooperative of Ohio Makes Egregious Profit from Inattentive Residential Natural Gas Users Gahanna, Ohio

Dominion natural gas customers should pay attention to who Dominion assigns as your supplier.  I was assigned Energy Cooperative of Ohio.  The name makes it sound as if it is consumer oriented and competitively priced.  It is not.  In fact I think the sub-prime mortgage brokers that follow the latest consumer rip-off have ended up in the gas supply business. For those of you in Ohio that don't know how it works, your natural gas utility (at least if you have Columbia or Dominion) no longer actually buys or produces the gas that you use to heat your home.  Rather they just transport it to your house through their pipe system.  They expect you as a consumer to choose a gas supplier who will sell you the gas that they transport.  If you don't specify a supplier they will assign one.  Don't let them assign Energy Cooperative of Ohio.  Many people lock in long term contracts with suppliers.  Often you can find the names and the selling prices of these contracts in your local newspaper. 

I am fairly knowlegeable about the natural gas market so I chose to just take the variable rate option, since I believe we are in an oversupply situation and prices would probably fall rather than rise.  In fact the prices did fall.  But not with Energy Cooperative of Ohio.  For the last several months I have paid more for my gas than if I had locked in during a much higher priced period.  The real disgrace here is that all this company had to do was buy gas on the spot market and have Dominion deliver it.  However you have no control over the pricing just the term.  You need to trust the supplier.  Don't trust Energy Cooperative of Ohio.  They are making a profit about twice the revenue Dominion receives to actually deliver the gas with no plant and equipment needed and no risk in buying the gas.  It takes 60 days to switch your supplier once you notify them of your intention to switch.  By the time you notice they are ripping you off the winter is over.  These people are not honorable. Switch now.