Natural gas customers in British Columbia are getting a break on their home heating bills even as consumers in Alberta continues to pay some of the highest rates in the country..FortisBC — the province’s natural gas distribution utility — has announced a $1 cut in the cost of supplying gas to residential customers for home heating, from $5.159 per gigajoule (GJ) to $4.159 for all customers out to June 30. The changes come into effect on April 1. It’s the second cut since January..For residential customers on the Mainland and Vancouver Island (including North and South Interior, Whistler and Revelstoke), average monthly bills are expected to decrease by approximately $7.50 or 7% based on an average household consumption of approximately 90 GJ per year, Fortis said in a news release..For Fort Nelson, average monthly bills are expected to fall $10.40 or 9% based on an average household consumption of approximately 125 GJ per year, given that it’s that much colder..FortisBC acquires natural gas at market-based prices and flows the cost of gas directly through to its customers, so customers pay what FortisBC pays for the natural gas itself offset by factors like supply and demand and economic conditions affect the price of natural gas in North America, it added..That compares to Alberta’s so-called “deregulated” market where DirectEnergy is offering a one-year fixed contract for $8.09 a GJ and Enmax’s is $5.99. Both require varying additional charges of 29-30 cents per day and $250 break fees for early termination. This, even though the majority of gas produced in Canada comes from Alberta or alternatively northeastern BC where it’s actually more expensive to ship through the Alberta mainline.."The cost of gas rate decrease will undoubtedly be welcomed and provide some relief to our customers on their gas bills especially at a time when other living expenses are high," said Joe Mazza, FortisBC’s vice-president, energy supply and resource development. "Even with the cost of gas decreasing, we understand energy costs are an important consideration in household budgets and we are always here to support our customers if they need it."
