Questar Gas asks Utah PSC to cut natural gas rates by $­­­12.4 million

Questar Gas is requesting a decrease of $12.4 million in its Utah natural gas rates. If the request is approved by the Utah Public Service Commission (PCS), the annual bill for the typical residential customer will decrease by $10 starting Oct. 1, according to a press release.

“The U.S. energy industry is seeing more natural gas come into the market than ever before,” Questar Gas President Craig Wagstaff said. “As a result, we’re paying less for supplies and passing the savings on to customers.”

Natural gas prices can fluctuate with changes in supply and demand, he added.

The request includes the company's regular gas-cost-adjustment filing to cover costs of buying natural gas for its customers. The costs are passed on to customers with no markup and have no impact on the utility's profits. The "pass-through" adjustments simply enable the company to change rates to reflect changes in gas-supply and other costs, according to a press release.

Funds may be available to help income-eligible customers who are elderly or disabled pay their gas bills, Wagstaff said. Customers can dial 211 for information about utility-assistance programs such as HEAT (Home Energy Assistance Target), a federally funded utility-assistance program, and REACH (Residential Energy Assistance through Community Help), which is funded by donations from Questar customers, employees and shareholders.