KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
While gas bills tend to be higher in the winter months, some Santa Clarita Valley residents are voicing concerns about their recent bills being as much as seven times greater than in past years.
Sponsored Articles
The sudden increase in gas bills has residents questioning if the ongoing leak at the Aliso Canyon storage facility in Porter Ranch was a factor. However, Southern California Gas Company officials say the incident is not related, and the increases are simply a reflection of a significantly colder winter than in past years.
Resident Stacy Fortner was among several people who took to social media recently to discuss her bill’s increase, and her post in the Facebook group Santa Clarita Community generated 237 comments, 110 shares and 360 “likes” as of 1 p.m. Tuesday.
“In 17 years of owning my home and living at the same address, I’ve never seen a gas bill of $111,” Fortner told KHTS AM-1220, noting that her average winter bill is around $65-70. “It’s shocking.”
When asked if she believes the recent increase in costs to SoCalGas customers may be related to costs to the gas company incurred as a result of the Aliso Canyon gas leak, Fortner responded, “I don’t want to believe that it would be that way, but I suspect that, yes, it has something to do with the leak.”
Fortner filed a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission on Monday, and is encouraging other residents to do the same. She also spoke at a Democratic Party of San Fernando Valley meeting the same day, which had an audience of about 50 people.
“Every single person in the room affirmed that they have seen spikes in their gas bill, but didn’t think anything about it,” she said. “This is happening to a lot of people, and it’s not isolated to me and my bill and my usage.”
Another Santa Clarita resident, Eva Gritz, reported her most recent gas bill is more than seven times higher than usual, raising her bill from $12 to $87.
Related: Representative Knight Tours Honor Rancho Gas Storage Facility In Light Of Porter Ranch Gas Leak
Stephanie Donovan, a SoCal Gas Company spokesperson, told KHTS AM-1220 there are a few reasons why residents are seeing higher gas bills this winter than in previous winters.
“There has been (some) misinformation out there, unfortunately, trying to link the higher bills that people are seeing to the Aliso Canyon leak, or to advanced meters that have been installed for some customers,” Donovan said, noting this winter has been the coldest winter since 2011.
“It’s significantly colder than the previous couple of years,” she added, “and as usual, people are going to be using more gas for heating purposes.”
On average, customers use about three to seven times more natural gas during cold weather than in other months, and heating can account for more than 50 percent of the total bill, according to a section of the SoCalGas website entitled “Colder Weather Equals Higher Bills.”
In addition to the increased usage of heaters during colder weather, meters are read on Saturdays at the end of each year to accommodate the holiday schedule, which adds an additional five billing days to the cycle, according to SoCalGas officials.
“We appreciate that customers are a little concerned about the ‘sticker shock’ because there have been additional days when you would be using more gas, but especially because it’s been colder than previous years,” Donovan said.
She continued, “If you need help paying your bill, if it’s significantly more than you’re used to paying, please give us a call and we can work out payment plans if necessary.”
Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or drop us a line at [email protected].
I thought it was only me at first and then saw my neighbors complain about it on Next Door.
My bill more than tripled which is unheard of in the 15 years I’ve been living in my home.
I checked my usage over the past few years online, even on more extreme colder months and nothing checked out. When I called the customer service agent, she gave me the exact same prepared statement as mentioned above in the article.
I suspect it’s the new advanced meters, it’s fishy if it’s happening to everybody. The Gas Co. obviously has an issue with something overcharging everybody.
Thank you for the link for filing a complaint. This is definitely a case that needs further investigation.
https://m.facebook.com/groups/448677798560650?view=permalink&id=944331428995282
The response by the gas company that ‘this has been one of the coldest winters since 2011’ was absurd. We were out of town for about 1/2 the month then we used gas related appliances sparingly and our bill was double what it normally is as compared to prior winter months!
I totally agree that the Gas Companies response is absurd. I have lived in the Santa Clarita Valley for 28 years and have never had a gas bill over $100. My gas bill normally runs $30-$35.
I raised three children in the same home and has never been this high. My current bill is $102.00.
My husband and I both work fulltime and are not home during the day. I have the thermostat set at 58 during the day and do raise it a bit when we first get home. There is definitely something fishy going on.
My Bill hit an all-time record for me. EVER. But yet, my power bill has been the lowest it’s ever been. So something doesn’t add up. It takes power to run my dual furnaces (much like my dual AC units) but yet my recent bill does not reflect this “increased usage” as they claim we are all doing b/c it’s the coldest in years. Definitely something foul here – no question. Everyone continue to post and complain … they are a public company and will need to respond at some point.
Our gas bill went up Substantially and because of so many people I know, whose bills have done the same, I am concerned that there is something going on and that the Gas company just gives everyone the same “pat” answer and is not willing to check it out.
And we believe the gas company because they always tell the truth? Please tell that to the Porter Ranch residents who were lied to for months…
Mine also went up but there was also a notice in there about a rate increase. Did nobody see that?
For the last 10 years my gas bill has been averaging $15.00/20.00 per month my last bill was over $80.00 call the gas company and they give me the same speech
The winter season, which usually boosts demand for natural gas to meet heating needs, hasn’t offered much support for natural gas despite the cold blast from the recent blizzard on the East Coast.
Prices for the fuel NGH16, +0.89% fell about 1.7% in January and on Monday traded around $2.14 per million British thermal units, set to end the session with a loss of close to 7%. They’ve already tallied a drop of more than 44% over the past two years.
Beth Sewell, managing partner at Quantum Power & Gas Services, said she expects to see sub-$2 natural-gas prices in February, and they may even drop to $1.50 depending on the weather as the market enters the “spring shoulder period.” That is when winter heating demand for natural gas drops off and demand for the fuel has yet to climb for the summer cooling-demand season.
There is “plenty” of natural gas in inventory, which easily meets demand, said Sewell. “Supply is greater than demand, therefore prices have to fall to find a market.”
And it appears as if the price drop back in December to $1.755 per million British thermal units, the lowest level in more than 16 years, wasn’t enough to put much of a dent in production.
The U.S. has “more natural gas than any country in the world,” oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens told CNBC in an interview Monday. “I don’t think we’ll ever see $3 natural gas again.”
We also have seen a dramatic increase & we were also out of town for 10 days during the billing cycle with heat, etc turned off. I am going to do some more research & will look into filing a complaint as well. Thanks for reporting on this so we know others are experiencing the same issue.
Saw the notice about rate increase. Still does not account for the disparity in the billing when patterns from previous years are the same. Anyone else notice that the rates increased when Porter Ranch became national news?
My bill was also much higher in Dec.-Jan. than any previous month in the last 14 years I have lived in Stevenson Ranch. However, has anyone noticed that this month’s bill seems to be more “normal” (bill tracker)? I have a feeling the Gas Co. is trying to make up for their hand being caught in the cookie jar.
I just looked over my gas bill and from Nov. 2014, Dec. 2014 and Jan. 2015 compared to the same months in 2015 and 2016, the average therms used are very close in comparison and my bill has not increased much at all. Not sure what everyone is seeing on their bills.
I just went back and looked at the last 24 months of gas bills, max bill was $34, and my current bill is over $95……..you tell me…….does t his sound right to you?
Our bill was $116. Never in 40 years have we seen this. This is either intentional or they are randomly hitting people double to make up for their exxon valdez.
My bill has increased alot since the new meter was installed, if you decline the new meter,you are hit with a penalty. scam.
They’re robbing Peter to pay Paul, fire the politicians and government leaders, they are crooks!
Wow! I too thought it was just me. My gas bill was about 8 times higher than usual. I have lived here since 1999 and have never had a gas bill as high as this past month. I have the thermostat set to a temperature that I don’t change from year to year. When it is cold, I set it to heat when I am home. When I leave the house I turn the heater completely off. I was shocked to see my bill and mentioned it to my carpool friend when I received it in the mail.
My concern is when we are no longer in cold months, will our gas bill still have the increase because the Gas Co. will be able to continue with the higher prices?
I filled a complain. I got hit with a 66% increase last month when compared with my last 12 month average…. let me add that my son moved out last August meaning our consumption decreased by 25%… go figure!!
I wish my bill was anywhere near the bills mentioned here. My bill for November and December were over $245, never in my last 25 years I lived in SC had my bill been anywhere near $100. Something is definitly not right but who is doing anything about it or looking into it