This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Questar Gas is requesting an increase of $2 million in its Utah natural gas rates. If the request is approved by the Utah Public Service Commission (PSC), the annual bill for the typical residential customer will increase by 66 cents beginning Nov. 1.
"Market prices rose slightly in recent months," said Colleen Larkin Bell, Questar Gas vice president and general manager. "As a result, we're paying slightly more for natural gas and passing the costs on to customers. We hope to see the trend of stable rates continue; however, prices can fluctuate with changes in supply and demand."
The request includes costs for system improvements and the company's regular gas-cost-adjustment filing to cover costs of buying natural gas for its customers. These costs are passed on to customers with no markup and have no impact on the utility's profits. The "pass-through" adjustments simply enable the company to change rates to reflect changes in gas-supply and other costs.
Bell also reminded Questar Gas customers that funds may be available to help income-eligible customers who are elderly or disabled pay their gas bills. Customers can dial 211 for information about utility-assistance programs such as HEAT (Home Energy Assistance Target), a federally funded utility-assistance program, and REACH (Residential Energy Assistance through Community Help), which is funded by donations from Questar customers, employees and shareholders.
— Mike Gorrell