From: Anchorage Daily News
Enstar Natural Gas Co. plans to raise its rates for heating homes by at least 22 percent starting in January to pay for soaring fuel costs, one of its largest one-time rate increases in a decade.
The company will file its new prices with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska for approval when its final numbers are in next month, said company spokesman Curtis Thayer.
Enstar, which serves about 128,000 homes and businesses statewide, including nearly all of Anchorage, will raise a typical resident’s bill from $125 to $153 a month on average.
“This is a concern,” said Ann Secrest, spokeswoman for AARP Alaska, which has more than 90,000 members. “You don’t want an older Alaskan to have to turn off their heat and possibly put themselves in harm’s way.” …
Two years ago, a similar spike in oil prices sent Enstar natural gas rates soaring to a 30 percent increase.
Even with the latest increase, though, Enstar customers will have one of the lowest prices of natural gas in the country, Thayer said.
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