With the price of just about everything going up right now, you can also expect to pay more for your natural gas bill. Investigator Amy Davis is answering a viewer question about all of those fees on your gas bill.
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What you should know about natural gas bills
We’ve had a lot of people asking why their gas bills are higher. If you inspect your bill, you might notice a list of random charges on your account.
Question: What is the “gas cost adjustment” charge? Viewer: Dan
Answer: The gas cost adjustment is actually the cost of the gas. The gas cost adjustment - or GAC- is what Centerpoint Energy pays for the gas they deliver to customers.
In February, Centerpoint adjusted the Houston GCA from about 61 cents to 74 cents per cubic foot of gas.
We took a look at a typical Centerpoint Energy bill to explain the fees.
This customer used 133 cubic feet of gas last month, so the GCA is $98.96. For comparison, this time last year, that same amount of gas would have been $81.00.
You’ll also see a “customer charge” on this bill it’s $18. This is a base amount that covers reading meters, issuing bills, maintaining facilities and gas lines. You’ll get this customer charge even if you don’t use any gas during your billing period. There’s also this added city fee for Centerpoint’s use of streets and alleys.
Where you can go in the Houston area to get help paying utility bills
If you need help paying bills, there are several agencies in the Houston area that have utility assistance. Some of these groups have specific qualifications you have to meet. See more from the links below.
United Way Houston, BakerRipley, Harris County Community Services Department, Public Utility Commission of Texas - Lifeline Program, St. Vincent De Paul, MAM Houston, Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, Lite-up Texas, Texas Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program
Useful utility bill assistance information for those in Brazoria and Galveston Counties
From Centerpoint: Tips to cut natural gas usage