Columbia Gas customers to see budget plans jump 30%
3/5/2014Columbia Gas of Ohio residential customers who are on the company’s Budget Payment Plan can expect to see a 30 percent increase in their bills.
The company said Wednesday that the increase is because the colder-than-normal winter has led to higher natural gas prices and increased consumption.
The company’s budget plan spreads natural gas costs evenly over a 12-month period, lessening the impact of winter heating bills.
The average monthly budget payment plan amount will increase from the current average of $67 a month to $87 a month. For a whole year, that means a $240 increase from $804 a year to $1,044 a year.
Columbia Gas emphasized that each customer’s budget billing amount is different, and may be higher or lower than the average.
Company spokesman Chris Kozak said about 407,000 of the company’s 1.4 million customers are on the Budget Payment Plan.