Natural Gas Customers Will See Higher Bills, Some Will See Refunds

By WYDaily Staff Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Virginia Natural Gas rates will increase soon, but customers whose monthly bills were higher under interim rates since October will get a refund with interest.

Virginia Natural Gas requested an increase in annual operating revenue from the State Corporation Commission earlier in the year that would have resulted in an average monthly increase of about $6 for residential customers. Interim rates were put into effect starting Oct. 1.

The company, the SCC and the Office of the Attorney General reviewed the request and resolved “a number of issues” recently, according to a press release from the SCC. The SCC accepted the stipulation that means customers will pay less than the originally planned increase, but will still provide the company about $11.3 million in additional revenue.

The agreement means the average customer using 51.2 Ccf (hundred cubic feet) of gas a month will see an billing increase of about $3.47, as opposed to the orginally planned $6.

Customers whose monthly bills were higher under interim rates in effect since October 1 will get a refund with interest for the overpayment, according to the SCC.

Virginia Natural Gas provides service to residents of the Historic Triangle, along with 275,000 other customers in Southeast Virginia.