Fortis Gets Unasked For Rate Hike

Written by 107.5 KISS FM Monday, 17 March 2014 07:08
The cost to heat your home with natural gas is going up April first and it's going up more than Fortis BC wanted it to. Fortis goes to the BC Utilities Commission every quarter to ask permission to increase or lower rates. This time the commission told Fortis to raise them higher because stockpiles are low thanks to the cold winter back east. It means the cost for an average home will go up about $130 per year, however Fortis says it's almost the end of the heating season right now and it expects rates will drop in the fall
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FortisBC to increase natural gas and propane commodity rate
Rates and rate structures vary across the FortisBC natural gas service territory, and certain service areas will remain unchanged. Customers will see the following changes to their commodity rate effective April 1, 2014:

Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, Interior, North and the Kootenays
Residential customers will see an increase to the commodity rate of $1.368 per gigajoule (GJ)

Many natural gas bills to drop across B.C. this winter

CBC News Posted: Sep 19, 2013 1:02 PM PT
Many B.C. homeowners’ natural gas bills will be significantly reduced this winter as the price of natural gas plummets amidst a North American market glut. FortisBC, which provides about 900,000 people with natural gas throughout the province, says they have received approval from the B.C. Utilities Commission to decrease prices for most of their customers starting October 1. The company says the savings will amount to approximately $60, or about $5 a month, over the course of the year for homeowners in the Lower Mainland, the Interior and northern B.C. Customers on Vancouver Island, the Sunshine Coast and Powell River will not benefit from the price reductions, however, because they are in a fixed-price agreement with FortisBC. A mild summer in eastern Canada significantly reduced demand for natural gas, which is commonly used to cool homes, and advancements in the extraction process have both contributed to the decrease in price, says the company.
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Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, Interior, North and the Kootenays

Residential customers will see a decrease to the commodity rate of $0.641 per gigajoule (GJ). This results in a decrease of approximately $61 per year for an average residential customer in the Lower Mainland using approximately 95 GJ.
Customer Choice program participants will not be affected by changes to the commodity rate

Fortis Natural Gas Rates going up.

Commodity rates passed on to customers without markup

Surrey, BC –  ​FortisBC has received approval from the B.C. Utilities Commission (BCUC) regarding changes to natural gas commodity rates and delivery rates effective July 1, 2013.

Customers will see changes as follows on July 1, 2013:

Current Rates to be changed July 1, 2013

Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, Interior, North and the Kootenays

• Residential customers will see an increase to the commodity rate of $0.936 per gigajoule (GJ). As part of the BCUC’s review of the regulated rate of return for energy utilities in B.C., delivery rates for customers in these regions will decrease $0.294 per GJ. The combined rate change means an increase of $0.642 per GJ, or approximately $61 per year for an average residential customer in the Lower Mainland using approximately 95 GJ.

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Don Quixote Note: 
July 1, 2013 Rate Changes

• It appears Delivery Charge will decrease from 3.691 per GJ to 3.397 (Decrease of .294/GJ. )
• It appears Cost of gas per GJ will increase from 2.977 /GJ to  3.913/GJ . (Increase of .936/GJ. ) 
• Midstream Rate charge no change at 1.159 GJ

Net Overall per GJ increase is .642/GJ. (An effective 8.2% increase) (7.827/GJ )(Old) to 8.469 GJ (New)

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Jan 1, 2013  Rate Changes:

• Delivery Charge will increase from 3.375 per GJ to 3.691 (Increase of .316/GJ. )
• No Change in  Cost of gas per GJ will stay at 2.977 /GJ 
• Midstream Rate charge decrease from 1.339GJ to  1.159 GJ (decrease of .18 GJ.

Net Overall per GJ increase is .136/GJ (An effective .98% increase) (7.691 )(Old) to 7.827/GJ (New)

FortisBC natural gas customers benefit from recent BC Utilities Commission decision

SURREY, BC, March 12, 2012 /CNW/ - The British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) confirmed today that, most of FortisBC's natural gas customers will see a commodity rate decrease starting April 1, 2012. This also includes piped propane customers living in Revelstoke. Midstream and delivery rates for customers are not affected by this decision. "The rates approved today are allowing our customers to continue to benefit from some of the lowest delivered natural gas prices in more than a decade," said Cynthia Des Brisay, Vice President of Energy Supply and Resource Development. "A mild North American winter, growing supply of natural gas and reduced demand have come together to keep natural gas prices low. "This has allowed us to flow through a natural gas and a propane rate decrease at this time."
Natural gas and propane rates will change as follows on April 1, 2012:
Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley, Interior, North and the Kootenays

• Commodity rate decrease of $1.028 per gigajoule (GJ) for customers, meaning the commodity rate will drop from $4.005 per GJ to $2.977 per GJ. The average residential customer using approximately 95 GJ per year will see a decrease of approximately $98 per year or a 9.9 per cent decrease. Commodity rates for customers participating in the Customer Choice program will not be affected, as they purchase the gas commodity from a licensed gas marketer.