Columbia Gas bills will be 12% lower this winter

This winter's natural gas bills will be 12 percent lower for Columbia Gas of Virginia's customers than a year ago, the company said yesterday.

Effective with customer bills mailed after today, a typical Columbia Gas residential customer, based on usage of 100 Ccf, will have a total monthly bill of $138.42, compared with a similar monthly bill of $157.66 in 2008.

A Ccf is the measurement used for natural gas equal to 100 cubic feet.

Wholesale natural gas prices are lower than they were a year ago. Utilities like Columbia pass the costs they pay for natural gas on to consumers on a dollar-for-dollar basis without markup.

This cost adjustment covers the winter months of December, January and February.

"It is our hope that lower natural gas bills will help individuals and businesses reduce their energy costs this winter," said Carl Levander, Columbia's president.

Levander noted that it is not too late for individuals to perform maintenance on their heating equipment and prepare their homes for the winter. In addition, Columbia's budget payment plan is one way to spread out the annual costs of dependable natural gas.

Columbia Gas of Virginia, with headquarters in Chesterfield County, serves nearly 240,000 customers the state.

-- Peter Bacqué