Oregonians to pay less for natural gas this winter

The Oregon Public Utility Commission said Tuesday it has approved lower natural gas rates for residential and commercial customers of the three regulated utilities – Avista Utilities, Cascade Natural Gas Company, and NW Natural – which go into effect Thursday, Nov. 1. Industrial customers for Avista and NW Natural will also realize a decrease in rates. The PUC approves adjustments to each company’s rates annually to reflect changes in the actual cost of wholesale priced natural gas, known as the Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA). This allows companies to pass through their actual cost of purchasing gas to customers without a markup on the price. For NW Natural, the adjusted rates also reflect the result of a general rate case that NW Natural had filed with the PUC seeking additional revenues to cover non-gas costs. “It’s a good day when the commission can approve lower natural gas prices and help Oregon residents pay less to heat their homes during the colder months,” said Megan Decker, Commission Chair. The impact for each regulated natural gas company and specific customer categories is detailed, below. Avista Utilities Residential Customers – 10.2 percent decrease Commercial Customers – 8.9 percent decrease Industrial Customers – 16.5 percent decrease With these changes, the monthly bill of a residential customer using an average of 47 therms per month will decrease by $4.56, or 8.3 percent, from $54.89 to $50.33. Cascade Natural Gas The PUC approved an overall decrease of $1.949 million, or 3.0 percent for Cascade Natural customers for the PGA annual filing when compared to November 2017 rates. Residential Customers – 2.8 percent decrease Commercial Customers – 3.2 percent decrease Industrial Customers – 11.4 percent increase With these changes, the monthly bill of a typical residential customer using 60 therms per month will decrease by $1.13, or 2.5 percent, from $45.22 to $44.09. In addition to this action relating to its purchased gas costs, Cascade Natural has a general rate case pending with the PUC seeking additional revenues to cover its non-gas costs. That decision is expected in March 2019 and will further impact rates for Cascade Natural customers. NW Natural The PUC approved a decrease of $33.649 million, or 5.0 percent for NW Natural customers for the PGA annual filing when compared to November 2017 rates. In addition to the decrease in gas costs, the PUC approved a $23.4 million, or 3.72 percent increase for non-gas costs in a general rate proceeding. The combined result of these two decisions is a decrease in customer rates as indicated below: Residential Customers – 2.1 percent decrease Commercial Customers – 3.4 percent decrease Industrial Customers – 6.2 percent decrease With these changes, the monthly bill of a typical residential customer using 53 therms per month will decrease by $1.10, or 2.1 percent, from $52.44 to $51.34. Customers may realize additional savings by: * Turning down thermostats to save up to 3 percent for each degree. A programmable thermostat that reduces heat at night or when no one is home can lower heating bills by 5 to 10 percent. * Updating low-efficiency furnaces and water heaters with higher-efficiency models. * Fully insulating homes to realize up to 30 percent savings on a heating bill. * Cleaning or changing the furnace filter once a month during the heating season. * Conducting an online Home Energy Review through the Energy Trust of Oregon. * Asking their natural gas service provider about bill payment assistance programs. NW Natural serves nearly 660,000 customers in northwest Oregon. Avista Utilities serves just over 100,000 customers in portions of southwest and northeastern Oregon. Cascade Natural Gas serves more than 73,000 customers in the Bend region and parts of Northeast Oregon.