DALLAS -- Atmos Energy Corporation says most of its natural gas utility customers will pay lower heating bills this winter compared to last winter.

"We forecast that the annual cost of the natural gas we buy for our customers across the 12 states where we operate will be 10 percent to 12 percent less, on average, compared to our gas costs for the past year," said Kevin Akers, Atmos Energy's division president.

Akers said that Atmos Energy does not make any profit on the cost of the natural gas it distributes to its utility customers.

"When the costs we pay for natural gas go down, we pass on those fuel savings directly to our customers in their bills," he said.

"Customers tell us that paying lower natural gas bills this winter is welcome news, considering the current economy and the pressures they feel on their household budgets," Akers said.

"He said Atmos Energy is working closely with state energy officials and local energy assistance agencies to help customers. Many of these customers may qualify for additional federal energy-assistance dollars now available by calling us at 1-888-286-6700 to learn how to apply for energy assistance."

Akers said the Sharing the Warmth program will donate more than $1 million to energy assistance agencies to aid low-income, elderly and disabled customers pay their natural gas bills. "One of the easiest ways for any customer to manage winter gas bills is to sign up for our budget billing plan," he said. Atmos Energy's budget billing plan levels out a customer's monthly bill payments over a rolling 12-month period.

Atmos Energy's Web site at www.atmosenergy.com\energytips offers many easy-to-use online tools and energy-savings tips to help homeowners conserve on energy use, evaluate choices for new appliances and understand the many factors that affect their monthly natural gas bills.

"Every fall, we also encourage our customers to call a licensed plumbing or heating contractor for a winter tuneup of their natural gas furnace and appliances. It's a matter of safety, of course, but servicing appliances can also keep them operating efficiently to save costs," Akers said.

Atmos Energy Corporation, headquartered in Dallas, is the country's largest natural-gas-only distributor, serving over 3 million natural gas distribution customers in more than 1,600 communities in 12 states from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the East to the Rocky Mountains in the West.