Despite a frigid start to the year, thanks to continued low natural gas prices, average bills for Columbia Gas of Virginia residential customers are expected to be slightly lower this January when compared to the same period a year ago.
Columbia estimates an average residential customer bill for January 2018 will be $150.09, compared with $153.53 in January 2017. The year-over-year reduction is primarily the result of lower natural gas commodity prices, which make up the bulk of an average customer’s winter bill.
“Natural gas continues to represent an outstanding energy value for our residential customers, not to mention our many commercial and industrial users,” Columbia Gas of Virginia President Brent Archer said. “The continued and sustained performance of the domestic production segment, particularly related to the shale plays provides a direct and significant benefit to our customers in the form of economically priced energy.”
Columbia continuing investments in system integrity, environmental performance
During 2018, Columbia expects to invest more than $30 million in its SAVE (Steps to Advance Virginia’s Energy Plan) program which helps Virginia’s gas utilities enhance natural gas system safety, reliability and environmental performance by accelerating the replacement of aging infrastructure..
The program was enacted by the Virginia General Assembly in 2011, with a goal of replacing older cast iron, bare steel and early vintage plastic pipe, as well as other materials nearing the end of their operational lives. During 2017, Columbia utilized the program to replace of more than 31,000 feet of older main distribution lines and hundreds of residential service lines across the company’s service territory.
“Columbia’s SAVE program helps ensure that we continue safely and efficiently deliver the natural gas service our customers have come to expect, Vice President and General Manager of Operations Phil Wilson said. ”These ongoing investments result in state-of-the-art facilities that serve our customers well, and do so in an environmentally sound way.”
From an environmental standpoint, the SAVE program helps Columbia replace less efficient equipment and reduce system leaks. As a result, the company estimates that it has reduced emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by a total of 4,307.5 metric tons since the program began in 2011. That’s’ the equivalent of 922 passenger vehicles, 9,973 barrels of oil, or 4.7 million pounds of coal. (See the enclosed infographic for more greenhouse gas reduction details.)
More information about upcoming Columbia SAVE program projects, and the company’s other system enhancement or expansion work is available at www.ColumbiaGasVA.com.
About Columbia Gas of Virginia
Columbia Gas of Virginia operates more than 5,000 miles of natural gas distribution pipelines, delivering safe, reliable and clean natural gas service to more than 264,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in portions of Northern Virginia, Hampton Roads, suburban Richmond, Central Virginia, Shenandoah Valley, Lynchburg region and Western Virginia. With headquarters in Chesterfield County, the company is one of the seven energy distribution companies of NiSource, Inc. (NYSE: NI) serving 3.8 million natural gas and electric customers. Always call 811 before you dig and Dig with CARE.
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Chris Graham
