Illinois utility guide
North Shore Gas Commercial Natural Gas Service
At a glance
Territory
North Shore Gas serves communities from roughly Winnetka north to the Illinois-Wisconsin border, centered on Lake County and the far north suburbs. Waukegan appears in North Shore Gas service materials and Nicor’s community list, so the service address determines which program to use. Importantly, many northern suburbs that people assume are "North Shore" are in fact Nicor Gas — Evanston, Skokie, Des Plaines, Northbrook, and Glenview among them, per those communities' own utility information. Some communities, including Buffalo Grove and Waukegan, appear in both utilities’ service materials. For any specific address, the bill is the source of truth.
Supply vs. delivery
As with the other Illinois gas utilities, the supply (commodity) on utility service is passed through as a purchased-gas cost that adjusts over time, and delivery covers the utility's pipes, metering, riders, and taxes. A supplier contract prices the supply portion; delivery stays with North Shore Gas under its tariff.
Because the commodity passes through at cost on utility service, the case for a supplier rests on the supply contract's structure and terms, not on a markup being removed from delivery. The utility retains delivery responsibility, but storage treatment and program-related charges can differ between sales and transportation arrangements. Compare the supplier scope and applicable utility adjustments together, while keeping unaffected delivery amounts out of a supply savings claim.
How to read a North Shore Gas commercial bill
A North Shore Gas commercial bill separates into the same groups used across the Illinois gas utilities: an account and meter block (service address, account number, rate class, meter, billing period); a usage block (therms for the period); a supply block (the purchased-gas cost, or a supplier's supply charge if enrolled); and a delivery and other block (customer charge, distribution, riders, and taxes). Sorting the line items into those groups before comparing offers shows which charges a supplier can influence and which are fixed by tariff. The commercial natural gas bill walkthrough covers the same structure in detail.
Commercial supplier choice
Through the Choices for You program, eligible commercial customers in North Shore Gas territory can buy gas supply from a licensed alternative gas supplier while North Shore Gas continues delivery and emergency service. Apply the same procurement and contract review discipline used elsewhere — verify the serving utility first, then compare offers on matched terms. That means lining up the pricing structure (fixed, index, or blended), the term and renewal language, how usage bandwidth or swing is handled given seasonal load, any account or monthly fees, and termination provisions before weighing the commodity rate. The Illinois Commerce Commission licenses and lists the alternative gas suppliers authorized to serve Illinois, which is the authoritative place to confirm a supplier is licensed.
What a North Shore Gas commercial quote requires
- A recent North Shore Gas bill and account number (which also confirms the territory).
- The service address and rate class.
- 12 months of therm usage to capture seasonality.
- The current supply contract's end date, if applicable.
Why confirming the territory comes first
Territory verification matters more here than in most Illinois gas markets because North Shore Gas is small and easily mistaken for Nicor. A quote assembled for the wrong utility uses the wrong delivery tariff, the wrong rate class, and the wrong account, so it cannot be reconciled against the real bill later. Start every North Shore Gas evaluation by reading the utility name and account number off a recent bill, then confirm the rate class. Only after the serving utility is settled does a supplier comparison — matched on the terms above — mean anything. For the statewide picture and the shared procurement and contract review discipline, see commercial natural gas in Illinois.
Sources
- North Shore Gas — Service Area
- City of Evanston — Utilities (Nicor, not North Shore)
- Village of Buffalo Grove — Utilities (Nicor and North Shore split)
- Illinois Commerce Commission — Natural Gas Utility authority
Time-sensitive rate and program details should be confirmed against North Shore Gas's current pages and a recent bill.
Program cost references: North Shore Gas business rates and storage treatment and the Choices for You tariff.
Local boundary cross-check: Nicor Gas communities served and North Shore Gas service-territory communities. Both lists include Waukegan and Buffalo Grove; confirm the exact gas service address before applying a program.
Practical answers
Questions you may have
Which communities does North Shore Gas serve?
North Shore Gas serves a set of communities from roughly Winnetka north to the Illinois-Wisconsin border, concentrated in Lake County and the far north suburbs — including Waukegan. It is a narrower territory than Nicor Gas, and many northern suburbs south or west of that line (Evanston, Skokie, Des Plaines, Northbrook, Glenview) are actually Nicor. Confirm from a recent bill.
Is my business North Shore Gas or Nicor Gas?
It depends on the exact location, and some communities are split. Buffalo Grove, for example, has both North Shore Gas and Nicor areas. The utility name printed on a recent gas bill is the reliable answer for a specific address.
Can a business on North Shore Gas choose a supplier?
Yes. Eligible commercial customers in North Shore Gas territory can buy gas supply from a licensed alternative gas supplier through the utility's Choices for You program, while North Shore Gas continues delivery, metering, and emergency response.
Why is North Shore Gas so often confused with Nicor Gas?
The two territories are adjacent in the northern suburbs, and North Shore Gas covers a much narrower set of communities, so businesses frequently assume 'north suburbs' means North Shore when the address is actually Nicor. Several well-known suburbs south or west of the North Shore line are Nicor, and some towns are split between the two. Reading the utility name on a recent bill removes the guesswork.
Does a supplier change who delivers my gas or handles emergencies?
No. Delivery and emergency response always stay with North Shore Gas under its regulated tariff. North Shore retains delivery, metering, and emergency responsibility. Reconcile applicable storage charges, tariff adjustments, and taxes when comparing supply arrangements.
Put this into practice
Compare supply offers
Put electricity or gas offers on the same basis. See included costs, exclusions, and unresolved inputs.
Open the toolSources & account-specific limits
Primary-source references are linked in the guide. Confirm time-sensitive information against the current source and your account.
Utility tariffs, program eligibility, supplier terms, and available prices can change. This guide is educational; an actual recommendation requires the applicable bill, usage, and contract. Next planned review: October 31, 2026.