(KLZA)  Annual enrollment for Black Hills Energy’s 2012-13 Nebraska Annual Price Option program is underway on a first come, first-served basis and remains open until October 4th or the 14,000-customer enrollment limit is reached, whichever occurs first.

  With the APO program, the customer’s price for natural gas, what customers are charged per “therm,” is set for the one-year contract period, November 2012 through October 2013, regardless of changes in the national market price of natural gas. “Therms” are the billing unit Black Hills Energy uses.

  Participation in the APO program is voluntary. Customers who do not want to be on the APO program do not need to do anything and will be charged the “traditional billing” per-therm price for natural gas.

  Black Hills purchases a designated supply of natural gas each year specifically for the APO program, which is the reason for the enrollment cap.

This year, enrollment for Nebraska residential customers of Black Hills Energy will only be online at www.annualpriceoption.com, or by phone Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 800-753-7509. Customers who sign up are required to stay on the program for one year unless they move out of Black Hills Energy’s Nebraska service territory.

  There’s an abundance of natural gas supply in the natural gas market, resulting in lower rates for the 2012-13 APO program than the current APO program which began last November and ends October 31st.

Black Hills/Nebraska Gas Utility Company, doing business as Black Hills Energy and serves 196,000 natural gas customers in 106 eastern Nebraska communities. Black Hills Energy is a subsidiary of Black Hills Corporation.