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After an unprecedented hike in natural gas prices, SoCal Gas promises millions of customers lower bills next month.
On Tuesday, the company announced a 68% drop in natural gas prices, promising to cut customer bills by more than half.
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Shon Hiatt, a professor of business strategy at USC, said more relief could come if key pipelines are brought back online.
“One of those major pipelines, the transmission pipeline, the Kinder Morgan El Paso Pipeline, has been out of service since 2021,” Hiatt said. “They just turned in the paperwork last week to restart the service.”
Meanwhile, utility companies are providing assistance through services such as the Gas Assistance Fund, granting up to $100 to low-income earners, delaying delinquent account collections until April, and not disconnecting delinquent customers in the first half of 2019. I did. Year.
SoCal Gas warned customers in December that natural gas prices would rise surprisingly high in January, despite what it claimed was a perfect storm of supply shortages and increased demand amid unusually cold weather. , consumer watchdog Jamie Court said utility companies should have been better prepared.
“If you were SoCal Gas, you would buy it when it was cheaper in the summer,” he said. “I carry it when it’s cheap. I store it when I have enough storage space and don’t need to buy it in the winter. I save acorns for the winter, but something goes wrong.”
A decidedly short-sighted approach has caused prices for many customers to rise exponentially, causing financial strain for many customers like Monrovia resident Naomi Radner.
“Our bill was $100 a month, but we were making regular monthly payments of $100 to budget,” says Ladner. “Suddenly, I received a $437 bill.”
Freedom from astronomically high prices may be coming soon, but here are some ways to cut your utility bills.
- Lower the thermostat about 2-5 degrees. The furnace will burn more fuel to reheat your wish compared to maintaining a steady temperature, so don’t turn it off completely.
- About $20 if you don’t have a programmable thermostat.
- Make sure windows and doors are properly sealed to keep heat out. If you can’t fix it, roll up a towel to block drafts.
- Open the blinds during the day to help the sun warm the room.
- Turn off the water heater. It doesn’t have to be 140 degrees. 120 degrees is enough.
- Close vents in rooms that are not in use.
Finally, SoCal Gas offers payment plans to help those in need. So don’t feel like you have to pay the bill all at once.
KCAL News Staff
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