Natural gas bills to drop

Photo: kurga

Okanagan residents will be paying less for natural gas.

FortisBC said natural gas bills will be dropping by about $52 a year for the average customer.

“North American natural gas prices over the winter have been lower than expected due to a continued strong production and reduced demand from warmer than normal weather,” said Cynthia Des Brisay, the company’s vice-president of energy supply and resource development. 

“As a result, the market is experiencing high natural gas storage levels for this time of year, which has further dampened the expected cost of gas over the summer period.”

In most parts of the province, the cost of natural gas will drop to $1.141 per gigajoule from $1.719.

The company said other charges on the bill relating to delivery, storage and maintenance won’t change. 

FortisBC also collects fees and taxes, such as the carbon tax, on behalf of the three levels of government