CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — West Virginia’s natural gas customers are likely to see lower heating bills this winter, the state Public Service Commission announced Wednesday.
In a press release, the PSC announced that all of the state’s major natural gas utilities have filed for rate decreases as part of their annual purchased gas adjustments.
Dominion Hope has proposed decreasing the unit price of natural gas for its customers from $4.66 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) to $2.72 per Mcf, a 41.5 percent decrease. According to PSC spokeswoman Susan Small, this would equate to an average monthly savings of $13.55 for a typical residential customer using 7 Mcf per month.
Mountaineer Gas Co. has proposed a decrease of $1.26 per Mcf; Bluefield Gas has proposed a decrease of $2.20 per Mcf, or 33.8 percent; and People’s Gas has filed for a decrease of $2.33, or 41.1 percent, according to the PSC.
The PSC still has to approve the proposed rate adjustments. Small said the finalized rates for the 2014-2015 winter will go into effect Nov. 1.
The purchased gas adjustment reflects the cost of fuel over the past year, as well as projections on the cost of fuel between now and the next year’s filing…