VIDALIA, La. – Colder temperatures and higher utility rates are causing utility bills to rise – and Vidalians are feeling the pinch. Norris and Frances White of Vidalia are among those watching costs soar. The couple is on a fixed income, as Frances is retired and her husband works only four hours a day.

They have insulated their house top to bottom, and they use alternative fuels, such as wood for the wood-burning heater, when possible. They also are thrifty with other expenses, even though some – such as a $200-plus medicine bill every month – cannot be reduced.

Still, they are feeling the pinch. Their utility bills have risen for the last four months, up more than $220 last month. &uot;By the time you get to the end of the month, the money’s gone,&uot;&160;Mrs. White said.

Vidalia’s rising utility rates, starting in November, are due to sharply higher gas prices, a lack of royalties from the local hydroelectric plant and the fact that rates had not been adjusted in several years.

The price of natural gas rose from $2.70 per unit in May to a current price of $9.62 per unit.

What’s more, the price of natural gas is not expected to fall in the next several weeks, due in part to cold weather – and, in turn, high demand.

Also, December’s bill was the first to reflect several days of lower-than-normal temperatures.

In recent weeks, temperatures have repeatedly dipped below freezing – a change from the past couple of years, when winters have been unseasonably warm.

And Vidalia residents have noticed the higher bills, which combine gas, electric, water, sewer and sanitation charges into one bill. &uot;Some people have called to question their bill, but you see this (utility rate increase) is taking place all over, not just in Vidalia,&uot; said Mayor Hyram Copeland. &uot;But we’re keeping rates down as much as possible.&uot;

Copeland said he is concerned about utility costs, especially for those on fixed incomes, such as elderly and disabled people.

&uot;So we’re not cutting anyone’s utilities off, especially with it as cold as it has been,&uot; Copeland said.

Fred Falkenheiner’s Concordia Avenue house has 2,700 square feet of floor space, 10-foot ceilings and, as of December, a $333 utility bill that included about $200 worth of natural gas usage.

The Falkenheiners, like many Vidalians, are taking extra precautions to save energy, including setting thermostats much lower than usual.

&uot;My wife’s keeping it cool -it’s about 60 degrees in my house,&uot; Falkenheiner said. &uot;We’re doing all we can. And if this keeps up, folks will be doing more to find alternative sources of fuel.&uot;

Bill McDonough, who has spoken against utility rate increases in recent Vidalia Board of Aldermen meetings, said one woman he knows saw her utility bill rise $140 from November to December.

&uot;Mine went up $60, … and we haven’t even had a full month of cold yet,&uot;&160;McDonough said. The thermostat &uot;has gone from 70 degrees to 62 degrees in my house. I&160;used to lower it when I&160;left the house, but now I turn it completely off.&uot;

Mary Mullins, the Whites’ neighbor, is now telling people to wear long-sleeved shirts if they visit her house, because she can’t afford to turn her thermostat to a higher temperature.

&uot;Other than that, we just stuff towels under the doors,&uot; said Mullins, who received a $254 bill in December, including gas charges of $99 and electric charges of $86.

Mullins said she hears people complaining about utility bills as she makes her rounds around town to do errands. And she said that depending on the amount of her next bill, she may join in the conversation.

&uot;My next bill comes out on the 15th, and I’ll see even more of a rise then,&uot; Mullins said. &uot;Check back with me in a week and a half.&uot;