By Charlotte Lane: Chair of West Virginia Public Service Commission
Today’s column is part of an ongoing program by the Public Service Commission of West
Virginia to help you read and understand your utility bills. Hope Gas has a relatively simple bill
for consumers to see what costs they have incurred.
You will find a box under the listing of “Summary of Basic Charges” that can be found on the
right side of the first page of your Hope Gas bill.
This information section updates customers as to credits and charges incurred since their last bill.
It clearly states in bold letters total current charges, and a separate line tells the customer his or
her total account balance.
Within this box is a breakdown of the billing. The line labeled “Gas Usage Charge” should
reflect the largest billing cost, since it covers the amount the customer must pay for the gas used
during the previous month. This is a dollar amount calculated on the basis of each 1,000 cubic
feet of natural gas used that month by the customer. The Public Service Commission allows the
company to bill for what it costs for it to purchase and deliver gas. Its purchase price fluctuates,
depending upon what the company must pay for gas it purchases.
The second-largest billing amount in this box should be what is listed as the service charge.
Hope incurs fixed costs each month, regardless of the amount of gas used by its customers. This
monthly service charge covers part of these ongoing costs. It includes such things as meter
reading, billing, customer accounting, pipeline capacity, and operating and maintenance
expenses.
Some Hope bills may also include municipal surcharge and excise taxes. These categories are
dependent upon whether the customer lives within a municipal area that imposed such taxes. If
so, then those will be on the bill as separate charges. Otherwise, they will not. Municipal tax and
excise fees are simple pass-through charges and do not accrue to the company at all.
Hope has an excellent website that can give you more details about your bill and other helpful
information. Once again, it is our aim and Hope’s to make it easier for you to understand what
you pay for when you pay your monthly bill. I hope you have found this to be helpful.