Earlier this week, Eversource Energy predicted that its 300,000 natural gas customers in Massachusetts would pay an average of $144 per month for heat, water, and cooking this winter, down from $148 per month in 2015 and $171 per month in 2014. The decrease stems from decline in the price Eversource pays for natural gas. The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities has to first approve the decrease, but Eversource is pleased to reduce natural gas costs for the second year in a row, especially in a region where overreliance on natural gas has driven energy prices up in past years.