If Liberty Utilities’ proposed natural gas rate adjustments are accepted, commercial customers could save while residential customers could feel a squeeze this winter.
Liberty’s fillings to the New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board, announced in a Nov. 25 release, are requesting adjustments to natural gas distribution rates and charges for all customer classes in New Brunswick in 2022.
Liberty is looking to decrease the distribution rates for residential customers from $10.40 to $10.25. It also wants to increase the customer charge, per month, to $22.40 from $20 – a two-per-cent increase from 2021.
The utility company says customers can still anticipate 22 per cent savings using natural gas, compared to using electricity for heat.
Liberty is also filing to lower distribution rates for commercial customers – a move that will result in annual cost drops ranging from four per cent to 12.2 per cent, versus 2021.
This adjustment could result in savings of 27 to 41 per cent for commercial customers, depending on the rate class, compared to No. 2 fuel oil, notes the release.
Actual annual costs depend on how much customers use – and 2022 natural gas pricing. Savings for both rate classes could be even greater if natural gas costs are lower than forecasted.
Pending their approval, the new rates and charges would come into effect in May 2022.
Liberty Utilities, a subsidiary of Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp., provides natural gas services to nearly 12,000 residential and commercial customers in New Brunswick, the only Canadian province it operates in.
Sam Macdonald is a reporter for Huddle, an Acadia Broadcasting content partner.
