socalgas bills expensive - HeadlinesCurator

LOS ANGELES (KABC) — As Californians struggle to pay sky-high natural gas bills, utility access activists are encouraging people to contact state regulators.

Mark Toney is the executive director of The Utilities Reform Network, a nonprofit also known as TURN that is working to ensure utilities are clean, safe and affordable.

He said people who are upset about the sudden jump in their SoCalGas bills need to call in to Thursday’s upcoming California Public Utilities Commission meeting and voice their anger.

“We’re just very concerned that this is out of control and something needs to be done to moderate these type of price spikes,” he told Eyewitness News.

SoCalGas said the wholesale price of natural gas has skyrocketed this winter, now up 128% just from December to January. The company is warning customers that if their peak winter bill was around $130 last year, it will most likely jump to roughly $315 this year.

Crestline resident Dennis Duvall is recovering from triple bypass surgery and suffers from Lupus. Those health issues keep him in the house around the clock with the thermostat set at about 75 degrees.

His latest bill was $918.75.

READ ALSO | Residents fear SoCalGas customers will ‘freeze to death’ trying to save money to pay sky-high bills

“I’ve got to pay it,” he said. “I’ve got to keep the heat on. It’s going to be very hard.”

Dave Miner of Crestline just saw his gas bill shoot up to $700.

“It’s taking money away from my kids, it’s taking money away from my grocery bill,” Miner said.

Toney said many California residents with medical problems qualify for programs like Medical Baseline to help bring utility costs down.

“They can sign up for Medical Baseline for the gas and get a reduced price and additional protections against shut-off if you fall behind on your bill,” said Toney.

Other tips to save gas?

“Turn down the thermostat if your health and your family’s health allows it, rely a little bit more on sweaters, blankets, closing off the vents in rooms that you’re not using,” Toney advises.

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DOWNEY, Calif. (KABC) — SoCalGas customers may get some relief when paying their natural gas bills as early as next month.

The hike in natural gas rates has had many customers wondering when they’ll catch a break.

Throughout January, Eyewitness News brought you the voices of people surprised to see their gas bills jump, sometimes regardless of them using less of the resource. On Monday, SoCalGas President Maryam Brown said this was all because of an unusual supply-and-demand event.

READ ALSO | Residents fear SoCalGas customers will ‘freeze to death’ trying to save money to pay sky-high bills

“We’ve been very concerned for our customers,” Brown said.

The price the company paid for natural gas was up this month to $3.45 per therm – which is four times higher than the same time last year and 11 times higher than that of 2018.

Meanwhile, national prices, like those from the Henry Hub pipeline, were dipping to levels not seen since June 2021.

“The issue is that the infrastructure in the West has been constrained, that we’ve had limitation,” Brown explained. “A limitation of being able to bring natural gas into the West because the pipelines are already full and there was less storage in the northern parts of the state and that affected prices here, but we do think that it was acute, a period of time, and we’re seeing those costs come down.”

Brown said along with grants from the gas assistance fund for eligible applicants, customers can expect to see their annual springtime Cap-and-Trade program credit earlier this year.

A SoCalGas’ unveiling of the first renewable hydrogen microgrid and home on Monday, California’s Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis said we’re at the mercy of the fossil fuel industry until we rely on other resources.

“Taking control of our energy future by investing in renewable energy is the best thing we can do for every working family in the state of California,” she said.

A SoCalGas spokesperson told Eyewitness News the company expects to make an announcement this week about a significant drop in natural gas rates.

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SoCalGas: Worried about your sky-high gas bill? Customers urged to voice concerns to California Public Utilities Commission

SoCalGas expects to announce significant drop in natural gas rates this week

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