CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Natural gas companies across West Virginia are asking the state Public Service Commission to decrease their purchased gas rates this winter.
The PSC has made a preliminary review of the cases and nearly every company is seeking a decrease because the companies themselves are currently paying less for natural gas, where the price is near record lows.
Mountaineer Gas, the natural gas utility that serves the most customers in the Mountain State, is seeking a nearly 20 percent decrease, PSC spokesperson Susan Small said.
“That would be about a $9 decrease in the monthly bill for a Mountaineer Gas customer,” Small said.
Dominion Hope Gas is seeking a 41.5 percent decrease, Bluefield Gas 33.8 percent, and Peoples Gas 41.1 percent.
The rates will be finalized and go into effect Nov. 1. The purchase gas rate makes up only one part of a customer’s bill, Small said.
“It’s just for the amount of money it costs the company to purchase gas. Everything else, salaries, vehicle repair, operation and maintenance, any profit the company deserves, is on the other side of the bill and is called the base rate,” she said.