Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District (MTNGUD) Rate Selection Guide
Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District (MTNGUD) distributes natural gas to 70,588 customers across 10 counties in middle and east Tennessee from its Smithville headquarters. The district runs Central Service Association's UtilityNexus portal for online billing and usage viewing, but offers no AMI interval data, Green Button, API, or EDI access — third-party data requests are handled manually with written customer authorization.
Market Overview
MTNGUD is a municipal natural gas utility district operating under Tennessee Regulatory Authority rules (1220-4-5). Rate schedules are filed with Tennessee regulatory authorities and published at mtng.com/rate-sheets. There is no retail gas choice program; customers take bundled distribution and gas supply service from the district.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District (MTNGUD) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
MTNGUD publishes per-therm rate schedules effective May 1, 2025, numbered by class: residential (Rates 22/62), Small Commercial (35), Small Industrial (36), Industrial (40), Institutional & Commercial (41), Industrial Interruptible (50), Interruptible Pool Program (80), and Interruptible Transportation (81). Sales rates carry a Purchased Gas Adjustment (Rate 10) that passes through commodity cost; large users can bypass district commodity purchasing entirely via transportation service, paying MTNGUD only declining-block delivery charges. The district holds firm and interruptible capacity on East Tennessee, Texas Eastern, and Tennessee Gas Pipeline, plus rights at five storage facilities.
Effective: May 1, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate 35 — Small Commercial / Rate 41 — Institutional & Commercial | commercial | Restaurants, retail, offices, schools, churches, and institutional buildings buying gas from the district. | Monthly customer charge plus per-therm energy charges with Purchased Gas Adjustment (Rate 10) passthrough. See the current rate sheets for charges by class. | — |
| Rate 40 — Industrial (Firm Sales) | industrial | Industrial customers taking firm sales service from the district. | Customer charge of $76.00/month, with declining-block per-therm rates: $0.745/therm on roughly the first 40,000 therms and $0.600/therm above, plus PGA adjustments (effective 5/1/2025). | $0.600–$0.745/therm |
| Rate 50 — Industrial Interruptible Service | industrial | Industrial customers with auxiliary fuel capability willing to curtail on district notice. | Customer charge of $150.00/month; $0.555/therm on the first 30,000 therms and $0.435/therm above (effective 5/1/2025). Service interrupts during peak demand or pipeline constraint events. | $0.435–$0.555/therm |
| Rate 81 — Interruptible Transportation Service | industrial | Large industrial users buying their own gas supply from third-party marketers, with MTNGUD delivering it. | Customer charge of $450.00/month plus declining-block delivery charges: $0.110/therm on the first 60,000 therms, $0.075/therm on the next 100,000, and $0.035/therm over 160,000 (effective 5/1/2025). Customer pays commodity and pipeline costs separately to its supplier. | $0.035–$0.110/therm delivery only |
| Rate 80 — Interruptible Pool Program | industrial | Industrial customers pooling gas purchases through the district's supply portfolio at weighted average cost. | Commodity billed at system weighted average cost of gas, plus customer charge and declining-block delivery charges mirroring the transportation rate. See current rate sheet for charges. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large industrial plants using 60,000+ therms/month
High-volume manufacturers should move off firm sales onto Rate 81 transportation, buying commodity directly from marketers while MTNGUD delivers.
Transportation delivery charges run $0.035–$0.110/therm versus $0.435–$0.745/therm bundled sales rates — the spread is the district's commodity cost, which large users can often beat with direct marketer contracts, especially given MTNGUD's interconnects with three interstate pipelines.
- Get competing supply quotes referencing East Tennessee, Texas Eastern, and Tennessee Gas Pipeline delivery points
- Model the $450/month customer charge against volume — transportation pays off well before 60,000 therms/month for most loads
- If managing your own supply is too heavy a lift, the Rate 80 pool program gets weighted-average commodity cost without a marketer contract
Industrial loads with dual-fuel capability
Plants with propane, fuel oil, or electric backup can take Industrial Interruptible (Rate 50) for materially lower per-therm rates.
Rate 50 prices at $0.435–$0.555/therm versus $0.600–$0.745 on firm industrial Rate 40 — roughly a 25% discount in exchange for curtailing on district notice during peak winter days or pipeline constraints.
- Verify auxiliary fuel systems can carry full load and test them before heating season
- Quantify curtailment frequency with MTNGUD — interruptions in this region are typically limited to extreme cold events
- Compare annual interruptible savings against backup fuel storage and maintenance costs
Commercial and institutional buildings
Schools, hospitals, restaurants, and offices take Rate 35 or Rate 41 firm sales with PGA-adjusted commodity costs.
Firm sales keeps supply simple for weather-driven heating loads. The PGA (Rate 10) moves with the district's gas costs, so winter bills reflect both higher usage and often higher unit costs — budget accordingly.
- Use MTNGUD's published fuel cost comparison to benchmark gas against electric alternatives for new equipment
- Track therms per heating degree day to separate weather effects from efficiency drift
- Multi-site institutions nearing industrial volumes should ask the district about Rate 36/40 or pool eligibility
Cost Optimization Strategies
As a gas-only district with bundled sales, interruptible, pool, and transportation options, MTNGUD offers a clear cost ladder: the bigger and more flexible the load, the cheaper the per-therm structure. Optimization centers on choosing the right schedule, exploiting the declining blocks, and managing weather-driven consumption.
Migrate to transportation service
For: Industrial loads above roughly 30,000–60,000 therms/month
Large users on Rate 40 firm sales paying $0.60–0.745/therm can shift to Rate 81 transportation at $0.035–0.110/therm delivery, sourcing commodity from third-party marketers via the district's three interstate pipeline interconnects.
Interruptible rate election
For: Industrial plants with auxiliary fuel systems
Dual-fuel facilities can take Rate 50 interruptible service at $0.435–0.555/therm versus firm industrial rates, accepting curtailment during peak events.
Pool program purchasing
For: Mid-size industrial users not ready for full transportation service
Rate 80 lets industrial customers buy commodity at the district's system weighted average cost of gas — leveraging MTNGUD's firm supply contracts and five storage facilities without negotiating marketer agreements.
Declining-block volume consolidation
For: Multi-meter campuses and batch-process plants
Both sales and transportation rates step down with volume (e.g., transportation drops from $0.110 to $0.035/therm past 160,000 therms). Consolidating meters or scheduling production to concentrate volume pushes more therms into cheap blocks.
Weather-normalized usage tracking
For: All commercial and institutional accounts
Heating-dominated loads should baseline therms against heating degree days to catch efficiency drift, steam leaks, or control failures that winter weather otherwise masks — and to budget for PGA swings.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District (MTNGUD) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
How do commercial customers access MTNGUD billing and usage data?▾
Enroll the account in the UtilityNexus portal at https://mtng.utilitynexus.com to view current and historical statements and graphical monthly usage. For data exports beyond the portal, request manual exports through customer service at (833) 438-6864, or engage the Engineering Department at (615) 597-4300 for large C&I accounts.
Does MTNGUD provide interval (hourly or 15-minute) gas data?▾
No. MTNGUD has not deployed AMI; traditional dial meters are read monthly per Tennessee Regulatory Authority rules. Energy analysis must be based on monthly consumption totals — plan demand-side projects accordingly, since no interval granularity exists.
Can a consultant or energy manager pull a client's MTNGUD data?▾
Only manually. Obtain written customer authorization specifically granting release of billing and usage data, then contact MTNG at (833) 438-6864 with the customer's account number, service address, your business details, and the requested data and date range. Expect 5-10 business day turnaround per request; there is no API, EDI, or automated channel.
Does MTNGUD support Green Button, EDI, or an API?▾
No to all three. There is no Green Button DMD/CMD, no EDI trading partner program (814/820/867/810 unsupported), and no public API or developer portal. The portal runs on CSA's UtilityNexus platform, whose internal APIs are not externally accessible.
What options do large industrial customers have for custom data?▾
Request a dedicated account manager through the Engineering Department at (615) 597-4300. MTNGUD may provide customized billing analysis, historical data reports, usage trend analysis, and rate consulting for large C&I accounts, and may negotiate custom data-sharing arrangements case by case.
Where are MTNGUD's gas rates published?▾
Rate schedules are filed with Tennessee regulatory authorities and published at https://www.mtng.com/rate-sheets/, covering rates, service terms, and customer charges for residential, commercial, and industrial gas service across the district's 10-county territory.
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