Utility Warns of High Gas Bills Due to Cold

Ventura County residents cranked up their heaters last month during an unusually bitter cold spell--and this month they are going to pay for it.

Officials from the Southern California Gas Co. issued a warning Wednesday that customers should expect their gas bills to be four to seven times higher than usual as a result of last month’s chilly temperatures.

“As customers get their bills, they may be surprised,” spokeswoman Vicki Cho Estrada said. The utility has 203,000 customers in Ventura County.

Gas usage across Southern California was up by about a third last month because more people were using heaters to keep warm, Cho Estrada said.

When customers get their bills this week, a gas-usage comparison will be included to explain the sudden price increase, she said.

The utility traditionally issues warnings in January or February that explain bills will be higher as a result of colder weather. But the company rarely makes such announcements as early as November, Cho Estrada said.

“The November temperatures were much colder than normal (this year),” she said. “That’s why we are issuing a warning.”