KANKAKEE, IL – October 21, 2026 – PRESSADVANTAGE –

Goodberlet Home Services, a family-owned HVAC, plumbing, and electrical company, is encouraging Illinois homeowners to schedule fall furnace tune-ups and efficiency checks as the Illinois Commerce Commission prepares to vote on a Nicor Gas rate settlement in early December. The company said that while regulators will set delivery rates, the condition of a home’s heating equipment remains a factor households can address directly before winter.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul reached a settlement with Nicor Gas in September that cuts the utility’s $221 million rate increase request by $140 million, or 63 percent, according to a September 11, 2026 report by ABC7 Chicago. The original request, filed in January 2026, would have raised rates by 14.5 percent. ABC7 reported that the agreement would add about $2 per month to the average residential bill, compared with about $6 under the original proposal.

Chronicle Media reported on September 23, 2026, that the negotiated increase totals $81.6 million and that the monthly customer charge would fall from $21.30 to $15. According to that report, the commission is scheduled to vote on the agreement in early December and is not required to accept it. Nicor Gas serves about 2.3 million natural gas customers in northern Illinois, according to ABC7.

Wholesale conditions point in a more favorable direction this season. The American Gas Association’s 2026-2027 Winter Heating Outlook, released in September 2026 and based on the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s September Short-Term Energy Outlook, expects winter natural gas prices to fall below 2025-2026 levels. The association projects end-of-October storage of 3,969 billion cubic feet, the highest pre-winter level since 2016, while noting that weather and local rates will shape individual household bills.

Goodberlet’s Illinois offices in Kankakee and Oakbrook Terrace are located in communities within Nicor Gas’s published service territory. The company’s furnace services include annual tune-ups with burner cleaning, heat exchanger checks, filter replacement, thermostat calibration, and full performance testing, work intended to keep a system operating as designed through the heating season. Goodberlet said technicians will also review filter condition and thermostat settings with homeowners during fall visits, since both affect how long a furnace runs on cold days.

Federal efficiency guidance supports the timing. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR program recommends having a contractor check heating equipment each fall, before demand for service rises with the first cold weather. Its maintenance checklist advises inspecting furnace filters monthly and notes that a dirty filter can raise energy costs and damage equipment, while a dirty burner or a cracked heat exchanger can cause the burner to operate improperly.

“A furnace that hasn’t been maintained still heats the house, which is why the extra cost is easy to miss,” said Rick Jensen, Operations Manager at Goodberlet Home Services. “A clogged filter or a dirty burner makes the system run longer to reach the same temperature, and that added run time shows up on the gas bill every month of the winter. The rate decision is out of a homeowner’s hands, but the condition of the furnace is something a family can take care of before the coldest weeks arrive.”

Founded in 1982, Goodberlet Home Services is a family-owned company providing heating, cooling, plumbing, and electrical work for homes and businesses across Chicagoland and central Indiana, with offices in Kankakee, Oakbrook Terrace, and Muncie. The company serves more than 15,000 customers each year and provides around-the-clock emergency repair. Its credentials include Lennox Premier Dealer status, A+ accreditation from the Better Business Bureau, Weil-McLain and Peerless boiler certifications, Unico and Samsung mini-split contractor certifications, and a 2024 Quality Business Award.

For more information, visit Goodberlet Home Services.

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For more information about Goodberlet Home Services, contact the company here:

Goodberlet Home Services
Rick Jensen
815-937-0189
info@goodberletheating.com
255 E Brookmont Blvd, Kankakee, IL 60901

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