Centra Gas customers in Manitoba will see rate cut in February
Average customer will save about $121 per year, Public Utilities Board says
Manitobans can expect to get a break on their natural gas bills after the Public Utilities Board approved a rate reduction application from Centra Gas Manitoba.
The provincial gas distributor's primary rate will be 13.43 cents per cubic metre, down from 19.16 cents, starting Feb. 1, the utilities board said in a Tuesday news release.
That means a projected annual savings of about 14.2 per cent, or $121 for a typical residential customer, the PUB says.
The cut comes after one of the most significant price hikes in years, and will bring gas rates close to where they were prior to the increase last fall.
Last October, the utilities board announced a rate increase from 13.23 cents per cubic metre to 19.16 cents. At the time, the PUB said that would amount to an increase of about 17 per cent — or $124 a year — for the average residential customer.
The rate will be reviewed again on May 1, the PUB says.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Manitoba Hydro, Centra Gas can only charge customers what it pays for gas and cannot make a profit.
Customers with contracts that set a fixed term and price, either with Centra Gas or a private broker, are not affected, the utilities board said.