Fraser Valley – Your natural gas bill, if your provider is FortisBC, is on the rise.
The company says it has received approval for the price hike from the BC Utilities Commission.
As of October 1, customers will pay $2.05 per gigajoule, up from $1.14.
Because the price of gas only makes up a fraction of an overall bill, the average homeowner can expect an increase of $82 per year, based on the average use of 90 gigajoules per year.
Fortis also said a hotter-than-usual summer in North America is what is behind the price increase.
FortisBC spokesperson Micheal Allison said natural gas is bought and sold based on open-market prices so the extra cost has to be passed on to customers. It is still affordable considering the price of natural gas over the past years.
