Unitil Corporation, (Unitil.com), a provider of natural gas and electricity to customers in New England, today filed a rate case with the Maine Public Utilities Commission requesting approval to increase its natural gas distribution rates.
The proposed increase is to ensure that the rates charged to customers correctly reflect the costs of operating, maintaining, and continuously improving the infrastructure that provides gas service to homes and businesses in Maine. Distribution rates are wholly separate from supply rates, which represent the current market cost of gas and typically change every six months. Unitil’s last distribution rate filing in Maine was in 2019.
If the rates are approved as filed, a typical residential gas heating customer using approximately 61 therms a month would see a monthly increase of approximately $14.51, or 11.9 percent. Impacts for specific customers will vary depending upon rate class and usage.
The Public Utilities Commission has up to nine months to process and review the proposal before any rate changes may take effect. An order relative to the proposal is expected on or before February 1, 2024.
