Woodland Park Residents to Experience an 11 Percent Utility Rate Increase
Black Hills Energy announced last week the approval by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to implement new provisional base rate hikes for natural gas usage.
They became effective on Feb. 13. The rate increase recovers approximately $20 million in critical infrastructure and operational costs to support safe, reliable natural gas service for customers, according to Black Hills spokesman, Tom Henley. Final rates are pending approval by the CPUC, anticipated in May 2024.
For Woodland Park and adjacent area residents, the hikes will mean an approximate 11 percent increase with the average monthly bill estimated at $$84.22. This marks an approximate $8 increase from the average bill.
According to a Black Hill press release, residential customers with an average usage will see an increase ranging from approximately 2.5 to 16 percent per month. Small commercial customers with an average usage will see an increase of approximately 5.4 to 12.9 percent per month, depending on the region of the state.
Enclosed in a chart that outlines the changes.
Average Monthly Bill Impact for Residential Customers
| Base Rate Area | GCA Region | Current Average Monthly Bill | New Average Monthly Bill (per settlement) | Monthly Change | % Change | Average Usage in Therms |
| 1 | North/Southwest (communities in Larimer and Weld Counties, including the towns of Dacono, Erie, Firestone, Frederick and Wellington) | $115.62 | $118.38 | $2.76 | 2.4% | 80 |
| 1 | Western Slope – without storage (communities located in Delta, Eagle, Garfield, Montrose, Ouray, Pitkin and San Miguel Counties, including the towns of Delta, Glenwood Springs, Hotchkiss, Montrose, Olathe, Paonia and Telluride)
| $108.75 | $111.51 | $2.76 | 2.5% | 80 |
| 1 | Western Slope – with storage (communities located in Eagle, Garfield and Pitkin Counties, including the towns of Aspen, Carbondale and Eagle) | $112.89 | $115.65 | $2.76 | 2.4% | 80 |
| 2 | Central (communities in Bent, Crowley and Otero Counties, including the towns of Fowler, La Junta, Las Animas, Rocky Ford and Swink) | $81.17 | $94.18 | $13.01 | 16% | 61 |
| 2 | North/Southwest (communities in Cheyenne, Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington, Weld, Archuleta, La Plata, Mineral and Yuma Counties, including the towns of Akron, Wray, Pagosa Springs, Bayfield and Yuma) | $99.21 | $112.22 | $13.01 | 13.1% | 61 |
| 3 | Central (Castle Rock south to Monument, Fountain, Woodland Park, east to Kiowa, Limon and Burlington, and the surrounding areas to these communities) | $76.15 | $84.22 | $8.07 | 10.6% | 71 |
*Black Hills Energy safely operates, maintains and updates more than 7,000 miles of natural gas system infrastructure in Colorado, providing critical and reliable energy to more than 211,000 households and businesses in 105 communities from Delta to Dacono. The company’s investments support customers’ growing energy needs and allows the company to meet state and federal regulations governing safety and reliability.
Learn more at www.blackhillsenergy.com/
|
