Frequently asked questions

Customer assistance

Natural gas price impacts

  • When will fuel price changes affect my bill?

    These fuel increases or decreases are a pass-through cost to customers and are implemented at different times of the year, depending on location.

    • Customers in Louisiana are currently feeling the pressure of higher fuel because Entergy Louisiana’s and Entergy New Orleans’ fuel rate is adjusted monthly, based on the costs from two months prior.

    • For Entergy Texas, any higher than normal costs due to higher wholesale prices or fuel costs must be submitted for review and approval by the Public Utility Commission of Texas before being applied to any customer’s bills; their expected rate change is in September 2022.

    • Entergy Arkansas and Entergy Mississippi set their fuel rates on an annual basis, with Entergy Arkansas’ expected rate change in April 2023 and Entergy Mississippi’s expected rate change in Feb. 2023.

  • Why does the price of natural gas impact my electric bill?

    We purchase natural gas to fuel some of our plants that create electricity for delivery to customers. The fuel adjustment on customer bills reflects the cost of fuel purchased to generate electricity at those plants as well as the cost of power purchased from others. It is important to note Entergy does not profit off natural gas price increases that result in increases to the fuel costs collected through the fuel adjustment. Rather, these amounts are passed through to customers at Entergy’s actual cost and regularly reviewed by our regulators.

  • Why are natural gas prices expected to be higher?

    The Energy Information Administration has contributed the high costs to energy supply and demand patterns during the pandemic, high demand in the winter months, as well has high demand entering the warmer months. In addition, supply chain constraints and labor shortages are impacting the ability of many producers to quickly increase production, thus we are experiencing a delayed supply response to price contributing to the higher than usual prices. As well, inflation levels are high, which impacts overall cost of goods for Americans.

  • When will gas prices go down?

    As a commodity, natural gas pricing fluctuates – it goes through cycles. As we move through the summer months, supply is expected to catch up, eventually resulting in lower natural gas prices. However, it is important to note that geopolitical developments with Russia and Ukraine have increased the amount of gas the U.S. can export and thus prices may stabilize at slightly higher levels than in the past.

  • With the cost of gas going up, why is there no increase for customer gas bills, such as the residential gas bills in New Orleans and Baton Rouge?

    Increased gas prices are affecting gas bills, too. Residential gas customers typically use less natural gas in the summer months vs. electricity. For example, electricity usage is higher in the summer months when A/C units are running. Conversely, natural gas usage is higher in the winter months when heaters are running. If fuel prices are still elevated in the winter months when residential gas consumption for home heating is much higher, then the effects of those higher prices may be felt in the form of higher gas bills, as gas usage for heating increases.

  • I’m seeing gas prices at the pumps decrease, why aren’t your fuel prices also falling?

    While crude oil and natural gas are both fuel sources, they are not the same commodity. While prices for gasoline may be down a bit from recent highs, prices for natural gas remain high. If natural gas prices fall, customers will quickly see the benefit of that on their bills. The U.S. Energy Information Administration states that U.S. petroleum refineries make gasoline and other petroleum products from crude oil and other liquids. According to the American Petroleum Institute, the price of crude oil is the primary determinant of the price we pay at the pump for gasoline. This year, prices for gasoline have reached a seven-year high due to a number of global issues and constraints; however reports indicate an expected decrease of gasoline prices in some areas of the U.S. Both crude oil and natural gas pricing is largely based on their respective supply and demand. The fuel adjustment item on an Entergy customer’s bill is based on the cost of natural gas, other fuel, and purchased power times a customer’s energy usage. And although reports forecast a decrease for gasoline prices in some areas of the U.S., current industry forecasts predict that natural gas will remain high for the remainder of 2022 before falling somewhat in 2023.

  • What is Entergy doing to address natural gas prices?

    It's true that gas prices increase and decrease based on global economic circumstances beyond any utility’s control. But that doesn't mean we're standing by in the face of higher gas prices. Rather, we've taken many proactive steps to help insulate our customers from exposure to higher gas prices and to mitigate the impacts of higher gas prices. These steps include building highly efficient natural gas plants that generate more energy (and produce less emissions) for every unit of gas they burn, investing in existing nuclear plants that generate large volumes of energy while using no gas and producing no emissions, and incorporating renewables like solar that produce energy without using fuel (other than natural sunlight). And by diversifying our portfolio as we have and continue to do, we can better protect our customers from negative impacts from increases in the cost of any specific type of fuel.

  • Doesn't Entergy set natural gas prices?

    Entergy does not set gas prices and has little control over gas prices, which increase and decrease based on national or global economic circumstances beyond any utility’s control. Entergy doesn't own natural gas production facilities, which means we don't control the price of natural gas or benefit when gas prices are high. Natural gas pricing fluctuates and is impacted by supply and demand in the global gas markets. The Energy Information Administration has attributed the high costs to pandemic-related supply chain constraints, extreme temperatures and severe weather events, and Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine, which has led to a supply shortage from Russia, the world’s second largest producer of natural gas.

  • Are natural gas prices only high in Louisiana?

    Natural gas accounts for about a quarter of global electricity generation. After COVID-19 restrictions began easing in 2021, global demand for natural gas gradually picked up, and then supply was constrained because Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February reduced supplies to Europe. Natural gas prices have more than doubled when comparing June 2021 with June 2022. Prices for natural gas at Henry Hub, the U.S. benchmark, are up nearly 45% since early 2022.

  • Do other utilities pass along fuel costs to customers?

    The fuel adjustment on your monthly bill is the cost of fuel we use to generate electricity and the cost of power we sometimes purchase from other companies. It's a pass-through cost, meaning that you pay whatever we pay for the fuel needed to power your home or business. (We don’t profit off natural gas price increases collected through the fuel adjustment.) Although the way fuel costs are itemized on utility bills across the nation differs from utility to utility (power cost adjustment, fuel charge, fuel adjustment charge, etc.), other utilities are, indeed, charging customers for the fuel needed to generate the electricity being used.  Electricity bills across the country are up significantly in recent months due, in large part, to increased fuel costs and global inflationary pressures.

Storm recovery impacts

  • Why is there a storm restoration charge on my bill?

    The storm restoration charge on your bill represents the monies collected to pay for the financing of storm costs and storm reserves. We used special bond financing options that are spread over several years to save our customers millions of dollars.

  • Why do I have to pay for a storm that did not affect me?

    Like other costs to generate and transmit electricity for customers, storm restoration costs are shared among customers who are served by the utility. For example, customers are vulnerable to unexpected weather events such as hurricanes in southeast Louisiana and ice storms in northern Louisiana, spreading the costs among all customers within one utility keeps the impact of storm recovery on individuals as low as possible.

  • Don’t you already get federal and/or insurance money to restore your system after these storms?

    Unfortunately, insurance stopped providing coverage of electrical infrastructure following Hurricane Andrew in 1992. And despite our advocacy efforts, Entergy does not receive federal funding to cover the costs of rebuilding the electrical grid following storms.

  • Why is there a storm reserve?

    Utilities have to spend large sums immediately after the storm has passed to get electricity restored as soon as possible. By funding the storm reserve via the storm restoration charge, we are able to establish a reserve for future storms at a low cost to customers to ensure that adequate funds are available.

  • Why doesn’t Entergy use a flat rate for storm recovery cost?

    Storm recovery costs are calculated by a rate multiplied by a customer’s electricity usage. Since some customers use more kilowatt hours than others, this formula is the most equitable and economic way to spread costs among all customers. Averaging out a flat rate across all customers would cause monthly charges to be much higher for residential customers despite typically using less power than commercial or industrial customers, for example.

  • Entergy Louisiana specifics

    Both Entergy Louisiana and the Louisiana Public Service Commission have worked to reduce the impact of storm recovery costs on customers by pursuing alternative methods of cost recovery, including financing the restoration costs over decades and the establishment of a storm reserve. The monthly charge related to the 2020 hurricanes, 2021 February winter storms and a portion of Hurricane Ida costs were included on bills starting in June. On average, a typical customer using 1,000 kWh can expect to see a roughly $9 increase on their bills. While the costs for hurricanes Gustav, Ike and Isaac are still being collected, the charges for hurricanes Katrina and Rita rolled off customer bills in 2018. The charges for Gustav and Ike started in 2010 and are expected to expire in August 2022. The charges for Isaac started in 2014 and will expire in 2026.