MORGANTOWN – Hope Gas has reached agreement with the various parties in its April base rate case and has submitted a proposed order to the Public Service Commission for approval of the proposed rates.
The proposed rate hikes for residential customers are somewhat less than Hope originally sought in its April 30 filing – its first base-rate case since 2020.
Hope originally requested hikes ranging from $21.10 to $33.74 for its residential customers. The rates in the proposed order range from $18.22 to $31.37.
Here are the monthly rate hikes in the proposed order: legacy Hope Gas customers, $18.22 (20.14%); Former Peoples Gas, $24.29 (28.9%); Former Southern Public Service Co., $31.37 (50.37%); former Standard/Bazzle, $25.76 (33.25%); former Consumers Gas, $19.91 (27.48%).
The varying increases reflect Hope’s aim to equalize rates among all of its legacy and recently acquired customers.
Hope said the PSC is required to issue its order by Feb. 24, 2026, for rates effective February 25. Rates will not go into effect until approval is received.
The rate case drew 988 letters of protest from Hope customers. Hope serves about 131,000 customers in 39 counties in West Virginia.
Base-rate cases cover a company’s operational costs, not the costs of the gas it purchases to distribute to customers – which is handled in separate cases. Hope said in an email exchange that the covered costs include the supplies and equipment needed to maintain pipeline infrastructure, labor costs and other general operating expenses.
Hope said its current base rates, from the 2020 filing, are based on 2019 operational costs. The inflation factor from 2019 to 2024, as reported by the Consumer Price Index, is 25.38%. Some of the newly acquired companies have not had a rate case in more than a decade, and in one case, 37 years.
“Hope is proud of the enhanced service reliability we have brought to the customers of the smaller companies we have acquired,” it said. “Our work on and investments in these systems provide positive benefits to customers. Customers in some areas of the state became accustomed to service disruptions, especially during cold weather. This work is strengthening the natural gas pipeline infrastructure across the state.”
Hope said in its email, “We thank the parties who helped shape the joint agreement and new proposed order.”
