PUC Backs 2 Plans to Cut Heating Bills
With record heating bills expected this winter, several utilities and the California Public Utilities Commission approved two proposals by utilities to help customers pay for natural gas.
The PUC approved a request by Southern California Gas Co., which serves almost 20 million people, to reclassify its natural gas storage to free 4 billion cubic feet of relatively inexpensive gas for low-income customers in the California Alternative Rates for Energy program this winter.
To be eligible for the CARE program, a family of four must have a combined income of no more than $39,200. The cap is $27,700 for a family of two and $52,600 for a family of six.
The average Southern California Gas customer this winter will spend $120 a month for gas compared with about $80 last winter, company officials said.
The commission also approved a plan by Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to give 20% discounts to residential and small-business customers if their natural gas consumption during the first three months of 2006 is at least 10% less than their usage a year earlier. The PUC and PG&E; say the discounts will save customers $200 million on their winter gas bills, which will be credited after March.
The PUC also runs a program to assist low-income residents in weatherizing their homes.
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