Wwp Trims Rate For Natural Gas

Washington customers of the Washington Water Power Co. will pay 1.6 percent less for natural gas starting Sunday.

The change approved by state regulators Wednesday will save the average homeowner 45 cents per month.

Craig Bertholf, rate analyst for the Spokane utility, said the reduction was an estimate based on slightly higher gas costs last year and the expectation of lower prices this year.

Normally, he said, the utility just looks back one year when filing a price adjustment with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission. But officials decided to include prospective prices in order to smooth out rate cycles, he said.

Bertholf said the old method would have caused a rate increase.

, DataTimes