Retail natural gas utility bills will be up 2-4% this summer in Colorado, according to a filing on Wednesday to state regulators by Xcel Energy Inc.’s Denver-based combination utility, Public Service Company of Colorado. The rise comes despite the fact that gas commodity prices decreased for 3Q2016 compared to the same period last year. The higher monthly bills are caused by increases in other costs that were captured in a general rate case that went into effect early this year. Gas commodity costs for the third quarter are 33 cents/therm for residential customers, compared to 34.2 cents/therm for the same period last year; for small businesses the rate is 32.7 cents/therm in 3Q2016, compared to 33.89 cents/therm for with 3Q2015. Average bills are estimated to be $22.02/month for residential customers and $82.25 monthly for small businesses, compared to $21.18 and $80.60 for residential and small business customers, respectively, last year in the same quarter.
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Customers Take on Risk in Utility Upstream Investment, Researcher Finds
Utility investment in upstream natural gas reserves backed by ratepayer funds has been promoted as a means to procure gas at lower and more stable prices, but a new analysis by a utility ratemaking expert has found “dubious customer benefits” of such arrangements in some cases.
PUC Approves Pennsylvania Gas & Electric Penalties For Deceptive Marketing
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has approved a $6.8 million settlement between the state and Pennsylvania Gas & Electric (PaG&E) for deceptive marketing practices in the winter of 2014.
NatGas/Electric Supplier Ordered to Pay Pennsylvanians $2M in Refunds
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) has voted unanimously to order New York-based electric generation provider Hiko Energy LLC to pay customer refunds of $2 million and a $1.8 million civil penalty for deceptive marketing practices and overbilling during the brutally cold winter of 2013-2014.
UGI Again Cuts PA Customer Rates as Marcellus Supplies Increase
UGI Corp.’s natural gas utilities in Pennsylvania each announced this week decreases in their purchased gas cost rates that are expected to cut the average residential heating customer’s current bill by as much as 11.4%.
Pacific Northwest Awash in Low-Priced Natural Gas
The shale boom that has provided the Pacific Northwest region stocked with natural gas at consistently affordable prices, the Northwest Gas Association (NWGA) said in its latest newsletter.
Plans to Increase Marcellus NatGas Consumption Advance
Mountain Valley Pipeline LLC (MVP) has secured more customers along its proposed route to deliver Marcellus and Utica shale natural gas to the Southeast and mid-Atlantic regions, reaching an agreement with affiliates of Roanoke Gas Co. to serve the utility’s customers in Virginia.
Cheap NatGas Still Growing Utility Fan Base, J.D. Power Says
Low natural gas prices mean pain at the wellhead, but they continue to bring smiles at the residential burner tip, according to the latest J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey of gas utility customers.
Refracks Focus of Halliburton, BlackRock Venture
Halliburton Co., which performs more onshore well stimulations than any other operator in North America, is carving out a niche in the refracturing market in a partnership with private equity giant BlackRock.
Bitter Cold Drove Pennsylvania’s UGI to February Delivery Record
Reading, PA-based UGI Utilities Inc. set a February record last month as bitterly cold temperatures caused Pennsylvanians to run to their thermostats.