Unitil asks PUC for midwinter rate hike
Unitil Corp., Maine’s largest natural gas company, is seeking approval from the Maine Public Utilities Commission for a mid-winter rate hike that would add approximately 27 cents to the rate that was approved last fall.
The Portland Press Herald reported that Unitil estimates a shortfall of $3.3 million if its rate hike isn’t approved due to higher-than-expected commodities prices for natural gas.
The newspaper reported that Unitil’s proposal would translate to a 10.4% increase for a typical home owner using natural gas, adding $87.19 to an average winter cost of $924. The PUC is expected to rule on the request Feb. 4.
Unitil is hoping to apply the new rate to the heating period between Feb. 1 and April 30. Any rate change would affect Unitil’s 19,350 home customers and 9,400 businesses, mainly in greater Portland and the Lewiston-Auburn area, the newspaper reported.
Alec O’Meara, a Unitil spokesman, told the newspaper that if the full rate hike is approved, the company’s customers would still be paying about 8% less, on average, than they did last winter.
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