High gas supply rates, older, inefficient appliances, poor appliance maintenance, window and door drafts, heat loss through the attic or chimney, or opportunities to better manage your thermostat can all be blamed for consistently high bills, or high bills in the summer when heating costs drop for most households.
What is the price of a gallon of gas?
The California Public Utilities Commission, or CPUC, sets our rates based on three factors:
- Costs of Commodities The cost of natural gas in and of itself
- Costs of Transportation
- The cost of delivering natural gas
- Surcharge for Public Purposes
- The expense of putting money into natural gas-related programs.
The remaining 8% of your payment goes for a return on SoCalGas’ investment in the gas system, with around 92 percent of your bill going toward items and services given to you virtually at cost.
Here’s where you can learn more about how these charges appear on your account.
Is there a deposit for Washington gas?
Depending on your payment history, we may ask a security deposit to begin or maintain your service. It is necessary to gain access to your home in order to begin service and, in some situations, to terminate service.
How can I save money on gas in my house?
How can I conserve energy?
- Turn off any appliances that are on standby.
- Install a smart thermostat in your home.
- Reduce the temperature in your home.
- Purchase energy-saving appliances.
- Replace the boiler with a new one.
- Reduce the temperature at which you wash your items.
- Be more knowledgeable about water.
- Invest in double-paned windows.
What are the costs of gas procurement?
Climate Zones, or “baseline regions,” are used to divide PG&E’s service territory. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) uses the average amount of energy utilized by consumers within each baseline territory to determine how much energy is billed at Tier 1 gas and electric prices.
Customers who purchase both energy distribution and energy generating from PG&E are referred to as bundled service customers. Customers that buy electricity from a third-party Energy Service Provider and pay PG&E for transmission and distribution fees are not affected.
Legacy energy contracts signed prior to 1998 that are in excess of a California Public Utilities Commission-approved market price baseline are subject to Competition Transition Charges (CTC).
A demand fee based on the capacity rating of the pumps connected to the meter is known as a connected load charge.
Conservation Incentive Adjustment: A part of your electric bill that reflects residential pricing tiers. Customers who predominantly consume within the baseline (Tier 1) receive a credit, while any extra usage incurs a charge.
Customers on some rate plans are charged a fixed fee for service, regardless of how much energy is spent, as well as usage-based charges.
Demand Charge: A demand charge is included in many non-residential tariffs. During a monthly billing cycle, demand is defined as the maximum amount of electricity used in a single fifteen (or sometimes five) minute period. Kilowatts are used to measure demand (or kW). High demand is frequently related with the start-up of new equipment. You may be able to lessen demand and cut demand charges by spreading equipment start-ups across a longer period of time.
The lower-voltage system of electricity lines, poles, substations, and transformers directly connecting PG&E’s distribution lines to homes and businesses is known as the Distribution Charge.
DWR Power Charge: Recovers the cost of bonds issued by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) to buy power for electric users during the state’s energy crisis. PG&E does not own DWR bond charges, which are collected on their behalf.
PG&E collects an energy commission tax depending on the amount of electricity used during a billing month to pay the California Energy Commission.
Energy Cost Recovery Amount (ECRA): These fees are mandated by law to help decrease the costs of PG&E’s bankruptcy reorganization. The Dedicated Rate Component is one of these fees (DRC). The right to receive DRC revenues was sold to PG&E Energy Recovery Funding LLC, a special purpose corporation, and PG&E is collecting this fee on behalf of PG&E Recovery Funding LLC. PG&E is not responsible for this charge.
Franchise Fee: This levy compensates cities and counties for the right to deliver utility services on public streets. The surcharges are collected by PG&E and distributed to cities and counties. This tax (if applicable) is calculated as a percentage of your energy bill.
Procurement of Gas Core The expense of purchasing natural gas and transporting it to the utility’s local transmission system. On the first business day of each month, the pricing usually changes.
Charges for generating electricity to power your home or business.
Meter Charge: Some time-of-use electric prices include a meter charge to offset the increased equipment costs associated with delivering this type of service.
Meter Constant: A constant that converts the difference between electric meter reads to kilowatt hours (kWh).
Multiplier: A factor that converts the difference between gas meter reads to Therms. The multiplier compensates for variations in elevation, supply pressure, and natural gas heating content.
Nuclear Decommissioning Fee: A fee charged to rehabilitate nuclear plant facilities to as close to their former state as feasible after they have been decommissioned.
Funds programs that are deemed by law to benefit society, such as low-income ratepayer aid and energy efficiency.
This number specifies the order in which your electricity will be interrupted in the case of a power loss that causes the California Independent System Operator to determine that rotating outages are necessary.
When a meter is read for billing, the serial code defines when it is read. Visit Find out when your meter readings are due.
Solar Choice Program: Solar Choice is a program that allows bundled consumers to purchase solar energy to match 50 percent or 100 percent of their energy demand without having to install solar panels on their own property. Visit our Community Renewables page for additional information, and check out the current pricing here (PDF, 400 KB).
Customers on a time-of-use plan pay higher prices for energy on weekday afternoons and reduced rates at other times, rather than paying a single flat fee for energy use. Seasonal pricing varies as well, with higher summer costs and lower winter ones. This means that how much energy you consume is just as crucial as when you spend it.
Transmission: The expense of moving electricity from power plants to distribution systems via high-voltage lines and towers.
Utility Users Tax (UUT): This is a tax that we collect on behalf of a city or county government. The tax (if there is one) is calculated as a percentage of your energy costs.
Charge to pay the California Wildfire Fund on behalf of the State of California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR). This payment covered costs connected to the 2001 California energy crisis, which were also collected on behalf of the DWR, for use prior to October 1, 2020. DWR, not PG&E, is responsible for these fees.
Wildfire Hardening Charge: PG&E has been given permission to issue bonds that will allow it to recover certain costs associated with preventing and mitigating catastrophic wildfires more rapidly, while also lowering the total cost to its customers. The CPUC has established a fixed recovery charge called the Wildfire Hardening Charge that is included on your electric bill to repay those bonds. The right to collect the Wildfire Hardening Charge has been transferred to a separate business (known as the Special Purpose Entity) that issued the bonds and is not affiliated with PG&E. The Wildfire Hardening Charge is being collected on behalf of the Special Purpose Entity by PG&E.
Who has the most affordable natural gas?
Natural gas prices in Utah are the cheapest, at $9.12 per 1,000 cubic feet. That’s approximately 8% less than second-placed Montana. For the month, the average rate was $17.57.
Will the price of natural gas rise in 2021?
The price in April will be determined by international pricing from January to December 2021. According to AK Jana, managing director of Indraprastha Gas Ltd, every dollar increase in domestic natural gas prices will necessitate a Rs 4.5 per kilogram increase in CNG prices. This translates to a Rs 15 per kg increase in CNG prices.
How do you read a gas meter in Washington?
Locate the dial hand on the left dial in the row of four and record the latest number it passed (taking note of the direction of the arrow on the dial). Record the lesser number if the hand is between two numbers. Record the number if one hand is directly over it.