Surrey – FortisBC ) has received approval from the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC) to decrease the cost of gas rate for all of its customers from $3.159 per gigajoule (GJ) to $2.230 per GJ as of October 1. For families and businesses that rely on gas to cook their food or to heat their homes, this will mean lower gas bills. The cost of gas rate will be reviewed by the BCUC again in December.
“We understand that energy costs are an important consideration in household budgets and so we strive to deliver gas safely and reliably at the lowest reasonable cost,” said Joe Mazza, vice-president, energy supply and resource development at FortisBC. “This decrease will provide customers with some relief on the cost of gas as we head into the colder fall and winter season.”
For most residential customers, average monthly bills are expected to decrease by approximately $7, or eight per cent, based on an average household consumption of approximately 90 GJ per year. Under the same cost of gas rate, Fort Nelson customers average monthly bills are expected to decrease by approximately $10, or 10 per cent, based on an average household consumption of approximately 125 GJ per year.
FortisBC acquires natural gas at market-based prices and factors like supply and demand and economic conditions affect the price of natural gas in North America. The cost of gas is flowed through directly to our customers, so customers pay what FortisBC pays for the natural gas itself.
The existing gas system plays an important role in British Columbia’s transition to a lower-carbon energy future, as it can deliver low-carbon energy options such as Renewable Natural Gas1 and other renewable and low-carbon gases2 in the future to displace conventional natural gas in the gas system.
For more information about rates and the components that make up a FortisBC gas bill, visit: fortisbc.com/rates.
