Texas Gas Service Set To Increase Rates, First Major Increase Since ’02

By Darren Hunt

EL PASO — On the agenda for Tuesday’s city council meeting is a request by the Texas Gas Service to raise rates for both residential and commercial customers.

During these winter months when gas use is typically higher due to lower temperatures, an average gas customer who spends about $42 per month will see an increase of about 47 cents or 1.1% increase to a monthly bill.

Commercial customers will see their bills go up by about $1.71 per month, equivalent to a 0.8% increase. The charge for some services is also slated to increase.

Returned check fees will increase from $10 to $25 and in-person collection fees are also rising to offset costs for the company. Deputy City Manager Bill Studer said the concessions are fair for what the utility can justify.

“We believe we’ve given them what they justified and we believe we have not given them what they could not justify. We believe it’s a fair settlement,” Studer said.

But what about residents with larger homes and larger heating bills? West El Pasoan Diana Harrispays about $200 per month for her natural gas service. At hearing the news of the increase, Harris offered what she does to keep her bills in check.

“What we do is we don’t run the heater constantly. We turn it off if we’re not home, we turn it off at night,” Harris said.

This is the first major rate increase for the gas service since 2002 and many said the approach Harris uses is the right one: conservation.