Here’s how much Cascade Natural Gas wants to increase your bill this fall

Cascade Natural Gas is proposing an average rate increase for Washington state customers of about 22% starting Nov. 1.

For the average residential customer using 54 therms a month, the proposed new rates would increase monthly bills from $61 to about $75.50.

That’s a jump of over $14.

The increase reflects the higher cost of gas, the company headquartered in Kennewick told the Washington state Utilities & Transportation Commission in an annual filing.

The filing is used to adjust projected costs in already approved rates with the actual cost to purchase gas to distribute due to market factors.

The proposal also includes a 3% increase for a temporary technical adjustment, which is part of the overall 22% proposed increase.

The commission will hear the request at an online meeting starting at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 27. It has the authority to set final rates that may be higher or lower than Cascade’s request.

“The cost of gas, which includes pipeline, reservation and storage costs, has increased significantly since last year,” Cascade told the state commission in its filing this month. “The purpose of this filing is to pass on rate adjustments designed to reflect the cost of gas in the company’s current gas supply portfolio.”

The New York Mercantile Exchange natural gas futures have traded even higher than last summer, which had been the highest summer levels in seven years, Cascade said. Last year summer prices peaked around $4 and this summer prices have been as high as $9, it said.

“Natural gas production has been steadily increasing and is expected to moderate some of the winter pricing upward pressure,” Cascade said. “However, elevated forward prices for the upcoming winter are likely to persist unless weather moderates, production increases, and/or storage across the region returns to normal levels.”

Cascade serves about 200,350 residential customers, 27,290 commercial customers and 510 industrial customers in Washington state.

A link to join the Oct. 27 meeting or to sign up to comment at the meeting is posted at utc.wa.gov/documents-and-proceedings/open-meetings.

Comments also may be emailed to comments@utc.wa.gov or mailed to WUTC, P.O. Box 47250, Olympia, WA98504-7250. Include your name and mailing address and reference Cascade Natural Gas.