Pittsburgh Customers Get Another NatGas Rate Reduction

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The Pittsburgh area’s three largest natural gas utilities have just dropped their natural gas rates (again) for customers—this time up to 22 percent.

Starting on Sunday, Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania’s average residential customer will pay $66.44 a month, down 22 percent from the $85 bill a year ago when market prices for the fuel were higher, spokesman Russ Bedell said. Columbia, a NiSource Inc. company with a headquarters in Cecil, has 414,000 customers.

Equitable Gas customers will pay $84.97, down 14 percent from the $99.29 bill a year ago when market prices for the fuel were higher, said Scott Waitlevertch, spokesman for the North Shore-based utility, part of EQT Corp. Equitable has 240,000 residential customers in Western Pennsylvania.

North Shore-based Peoples Natural Gas Co. is dropping its bill to $70, down about 5.4 percent from $74 a year ago, based on usage of 92 mcf a year, said Joe Gregorini, vice president of rates and regulatory affairs. Peoples has 325,000 residential customers.*

*Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Mar 31, 2012) – Average household natural gas bill to drop 14-22 percent