OH Customers Receive Gas Bill Fixes
Weird natural gas bill mistakes don’t happen often. But when they do, they can ruin our day and our budgets. That’s when we expect state agencies to step in and fix these problems. Thankfully, PUCO was on hand to help OH energy customers get that relief from two recent natural gas utility billing problems.
Enbridge Gas Bill Rates Problem
In 2023, PUCO looked into a distribution rate request that Enbridge Gas Ohio (formerly Dominion Energy) had filed. Originally, the utility sought to raise their earnings by $211 million. However, PUCO found the rate request was far too high. As a result, the commission ordered the utility to reduce earnings by $26.3 million. This cuts it rate of return to 6.6%. In the meantime, the order allows Enbridge to keep working on a project to replace old pipelines. It also lets the utility to recover other “incremental capital investments” costs through the end of 2028. PUCO explained that the order strikes a balance between setting gas rates customers can pay while paying Enbridge for investing in its pipeline network.
All the same, Enbridge answered PUCO’s finding by saying that its order penalizes the company’s pension fund. As a result, the utility will look at its legal options.
Duke Energy Bill and Gas Recovery Costs
About 15,000 Duke Energy gas customers got huge gas bills this summer. The utility explained that the lump sum charges were for “gas cost recovery” that it failed to collect in the 12 months ending August 2024. Some customers saw their July bills nearly three times above normal as a result.
As it turns out, a PUCO investigation this spring found the problem came from a 2022 billing system with over 100,000 mistakes. As a result, this past April, PUCO allowed the utility to back-bill of 3% of the utility’s customers. Duke Energy estimates they may recover $8 million in lost payments.
Unfortunately, these customers wind up being on the hook for the utility’s mistake. But, those who are being billed can sign up for the interest free 24 month payment plan receive a $75 credit and may see an average monthly extra cost of $12.
What OH Customers Can Do
Because PUCO handles fairness in the Ohio energy market, it’s important to reach out and file complaints if you feel that an energy company is being unfair.
In the meantime, be sure to shop for the cheapest electricity deals in town at https://www.ohenergyratings.com. We’ll also keep you up to date on the news and tips that could affect your bills.