Handy

The difficulty in determining savings from switching to another supplier can be the primary reason for not participating in customer choice programs. But a new handy calculator on the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel (OCC) web site (www.pickocc.org) makes the math easy for residential customers. The interactive calculator helps consumers compare rates of natural gas suppliers to their current natural gas company. Consumers enter the current rate of a natural gas supplier in the calculator, their county sales tax and their monthly natural gas usage to receive a side-by-side comparison of what their monthly natural gas bill would be if they chose a supplier versus staying with their gas utility. “Ohio consumers deserve easy to use resources to assist them in making educated utility choices,” said Robert S. Tongren, Consumers’ Counsel. “This new tool will aid consumers in calculating potential savings based on their natural gas usage and suppliers’ offers.” Three of Ohio’s natural gas utilities have offered natural gas choice programs since 1997: Cincinnati Gas & Electric, Columbia Gas of Ohio and Dominion East Ohio. About 38% of those companies’ eligible customers have participated by choosing an alternative gas supplier. Gas choice is being offered this winter for the first time for Dayton area customers of Vectren Energy Delivery of Ohio.

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) released a handy newbrochure yesterday for residential customers who are wondering whytheir natural gas bills are expected to soar by 44% this wintercompared to last winter. Gas supply will be adequate to meet demandthis winter, according to EIA, but prices and gas usage are goingto increase substantially.