Originally published in the Winter 2020 edition of the Virginia Defender, issue 61, printed February 17. Reproduced here in for accessibility and archival purposes. To find other stories in the Winter 2020 issue or to download the full PDF, see this post. For the full web catalog, see our Full Issues page.

City of Richmond’s natural gas utility customers should see savings on monthly bill Beginning with their January utility bills, Richmond Gas Works customers should have seen a savings on their monthly natural gas bill.

According to a Jan. 6 City of Richmond media advisory, the cost for purchased natural gas was to decrease from its previous $0.50 per 100 cubic feet to $0.425 per 100 cubic feet, an estimated savings of $5.25 monthly for the average natural gas customer.

“By law, we pass along the cost of natural gas purchased and delivered to customers, dollar for dollar, without any markup,” DPU Director Calvin D. Farr, Jr. said.

At the date of the advisory, the distribution charge of $0.590 per 100 cubic feet and monthly customer charge of $13.87 were unchanged.

“The City offers free information and programs year-round to help customers manage their utility bills and seek assistance before bills become unmanageable,” the release stated. “Utility customers are encouraged to enroll in the Equal Monthly Payment Plan (EMPP), a program designed to spread payments out evenly each month or to apply for the MetroCare Heat Program, a heating bill payment assistance program for those who qualify.”

Information about EMPP and other programs is available by emailing dpucustserv@RichmondGov.com, calling (804) 646-4646 or visiting: http://www.richmondgov.com/PublicUtilities/