WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – As cold temperatures persist in Kansas and the region, concerns for some are shifting from staying warm to how much it costs to stay warm. Some communities in the state are trying to prepare people for a shock when they open their gas bills for this month.
The price gas companies pay for gas has risen dramatically. The question is how much of this is passed on to customers. For now, that’s a difficult question to answer. Eyewitness News contacted Black Hills Energy and Kansas Gas Service with that question. Both say it is too early to know how customers will be affected. What we do know, we learn from Kansas City such as Hesston and Moundridge. Both have taken steps to prepare their residents for a significant increase in what they will pay for their next utility bill.
Moundridge distributes natural gas to its residents that it purchases from the Kansas Municipal Gas Agency. Moundridge City administrator Murray McGee said the price they pay for a unit of natural gas increased from $ 3 per unit on Monday to $ 329 per unit on Friday, according to the agency.
“We don’t know exactly what the last issue will look at. We have been told to prepare for gas company bills that are perhaps 10 to 20 times the normal rate, ”said McGee. “So it can have a significant impact on each individual customer. It will of course also have a huge impact on the city of Moundridge. ”
To put that in perspective using the numbers given to McGee, a customer with a gas bill of about $ 100 could pay $ 1,000 to $ 2,000 instead. The price paid for units of natural gas is the culprit for the big jump.
Black Hills Energy, which serves eight Midwestern states, including 115,000 Kansas customers, said its primary focus is making sure people have gas available. But what Chance will see on their accounts is unclear.
“We try to provide as much information as possible to our customers,” said James Williams of Black Hills Energy. “We want to be at the forefront of what the situation looks like. But there are still many things that remain unanswered for us as well. “
Copyright 2021 KWCH. All rights reserved.