Reducing the cost of gas

Laclede Gas Company

Customers of Laclede Gas Company will benefit from lower natural gas costs. On February 13, Laclede filed a request with the Missouri Public Service Commission to lower average residential bills by 5%. If approved, customers will pay an average of US$0.52/therm for the cost of gas portion of their bill. This means a saving for the average residential customer of US$4/month, excluding the impact from weather related changes in usage.

Steve Lindsey, President of Laclede said, “our customers can depend on Laclede Gas for sage and reliable natural gas service. They can also depend on us to aggressively manage our gas costs and to pass along savings when possible. Natural gas remains the most cost effective energy source available for homes and businesses today.

There is no markup on the cost of gas rate for Laclede customers. This rate reflects the expected costs from Laclede’s wholesale natural gas and pipeline transportation suppliers. The cost of gas accounts for nearly 60% of a typical residential customer bill. The remaining 40% of a bill is made up of the infrastructure operating and maintenance costs Laclede incurs to deliver that gas safely and reliably to homes and businesses.

Missouri Gas Energy

Customers of MGE will benefit from lower natural gas costs. On February 13, MGE filed a request with the Missouri Public Service Commission to lower average residential bills by 14%. If approved, customers will pay an average of US$0.53 /ccf for the cost of the gas portion of their bill. That means a savings for the average residential customers of US$10.49/month, excluding the impact from weather related changes in usage.

Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas filed to further reduce its natural gas sales rates for customers in North and South Carolina. The company’s filings mark the third such request in as many months. Piedmont previously requested and received approval in both December and January to reduce its sales rates for customers in the two states as a result of declining wholesale natural gas costs which Piedmont passes through to customers on a dollar for dollar basis. If approved, the February 13 filings before both the North Carolina Utilities Commission and the Public Service Commission of South Carolina would result in natural gas sales rates that are the lowest in more than a decade in each state. The proposed rates reflect further declines in the company’s wholesale natural gas costs and would go into effect on March 1.

For the average residential customer of Piedmont in North and South Carolina, the proposed reduction in the natural gas sales rate would result in a savings of approximately US$10 – 12 on their March bill. If approved, the new rates would reflect a decrease of approximately 22 – 24% in residential natural gas sales rates since the start of the winter billing period in November.

Edited from press releases by Claira Lloyd

Read the article online at: https://www.hydrocarbonengineering.com/gas-processing/16022015/reducing-gas-prices/