Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel
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Out-of-state merger will change natural gas choices
February 2007 - The Wisconsin Public Service Commission and the Illinois Commerce Commission both approved the merger between WPS Resource Corp. and Peoples Energy Corp. this week.
The merger is expected to be finalized Feb. 16 and the new company will be known as Integrys Energy Group.
Both companies have subsidiaries that serve natural gas customers in Ohio. WPS Energy Services is an alternative supplier in the Columbia Gas of Ohio and Dominion East Ohio territories while Peoples Energy Services is an alternative supplier only in the Dominion East Ohio territory.
Homes can be weatherized through HWAP and Warm Choice
January 2007 - One of the best ways to combat high winter heating bills is by making your home more energy efficient. While most eligible customers for the Home Weatherization Assistance Program (HWAP) can contact their local community action organization, consumers in many parts of Columbia Gas of Ohio's service area have another provider that they can call Ground Level Solutions. The Office of the Ohio Consumers Counsel (OCC) offers this information to help consumers become aware of their assistance options.
Services
Ground Level Solutions provides home weatherization through HWAP
as well as the Warm Choice program sponsored by Columbia. Households
that qualify for home weatherization can receive insulation in attics,
walls and basements, home health and safety testing and inspections,
and heating system repairs or replacements through either HWAP or
Warm Choice.
Eligibility
To qualify for either Warm Choice or HWAP, the household must be
at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty guideline. This means
for a family of four, the household yearly income must be at or below
$30,000.
Warm Choice services are available to low-income consumers in the Columbia service area in the following counties: Ashland, Champaign, Clark, Clinton, Columbiana, Crawford, Cuyahoga, Delaware, Erie, Fairfield, Hancock, Hardin, Huron, Licking, Logan, Lorain, Madison, Mahoning, Marion, Medina, Morrow, Ottawa, Pickaway, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Shelby, Stark, Union, Wayne, Wood and Wyandot.
Ground Level Solutions provides HWAP services to limited areas in Ohio. All low-income Columbia customers in Morrow and Richland counties are eligible for assistance. Income eligible household in certain areas in Franklin County also can receive services.
Additional Information
Consumers who wish to receive assistance through the Warm Choice
program from Ground Level Solutions can call toll free at 1-800-537-8210.
Consumers interested in the HWAP program in Franklin County can reach Ground Level Solutions by calling 614-861-0068. Consumers in Morrow and Richland counties can call 419-774-0457.
For more information on assistance programs, contact the OCC at 1-877-742-5622 or view the Stay Connected page at www.pickocc.org.
What you should know about natural gas risers
Rate changes for Dominion East Ohio customers
October 2006 - Soon, Dominion East Ohio customers who have not chosen an alternative natural gas supplier will be seeing a change in the rate on their monthly natural gas bill. Dominion is now charging customers the Standard Service Offer instead of the Gas Cost Recovery rate. This change was the result of a process in which Dominion changed the way it purchases natural gas for its customers. The Standard Service Offer will be the rate customers are charged for their natural gas and they will see the new rate on their November bills.
The monthly Standard Service Offer of $5.64 per Mcf will be in effect from October 12 through November 9. This rate is comprised of the price of natural gas reported at the end of each month on the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), (for October 2006, it was $4.20) plus a fee of $1.44. This new monthly rate more closely follows the market price for natural gas.
Consumers can view information about the change by clicking on the Changes for Dominion East Ohio Customers link on the front page of the Office of the Consumers Counsel website or by clicking on Publications on the tool bar and going to Natural Gas.
Action Alert Results:
Historical Regulated Natural Gas Rates:
General Information
Natural gas has many uses, with the most common being to heat houses and water for residential consumers. Part of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel's mission is to educate consumers about issues relating to natural gas, including gas choice, aggregation and budget billing. Also in this section, consumers are able to locate information about their specific natural gas utility and other natural gas suppliers.Many residential consumers have begun to have a choice in their natural gas supplier. Since the program started, close to 40 percent of Ohio's residential consumers have taken advantage of the opportunity to switch to receive lower rates as well as some communities working with their local governments to approve aggregation, or the group buying, of their natural gas.
The OCC educates consumers about their natural gas choices by publishing fact sheets such as Comparing Your Energy Choices and Choosing a Natural Gas Supplier. In addition, the OCC provides consumers with information on budget billing, which allows consumers to spread their cost for natural gas over a longer period of time.
If you are interested in renewable energy or alternative rate plans visit the OCC's Smart Energy section of this website.
Office
of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel - Your Residential Utility Consumer
Advocate 10 West Broad Street, Suite 1800, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3485
1-877-742-5622 (toll-free in Ohio) or 614-466-8574
Contact us
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The Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel is an equal opportunity employer and provider of services.