Unitil (www.unitil.com) announced today that it has filed a petition with the Maine Public Utilities Commission requesting approval of a change in its natural gas distribution base rates.
The last change in its gas distribution base for Maine customers occurred 28 years ago. If the Company’s petition is approved as filed, the proposed rates will result in an average increase of $7.79 for a residential non-heating customer and an average increase of $16.91 per month for a residential heating customer. For heating customers, this represents a 19.7 percent increase in annual heating costs, though rates will remain below 2008 levels when supply costs were higher. Impacts for other customers will vary depending on their rate class and specific usage characteristics.
The filed rate case will bring rates in line with current operating expenses and with Unitil’s continuing investments in safety related facilities and equipment. The new rates will help fund the ongoing System Upgrades for Reliable Energy (SURE) project, a 14-year effort to replace and upgrade more than 100 miles pipe in Portland and Westbrook. The project removes all cast-iron pipe from the local distribution system and modernizes the system, allowing for further growth in the utilization of natural gas.
“Natural gas bills are currently at a five year-low for our customers thanks to lower supply costs,” Unitil media Relations Manager Alec O’Meara said. “After this proposed rate increase occurs, natural gas will still remain a safe, highly affordable option for our customers when compared to other fuels.”
