- Average Affected Customer to Receive $2.19 for a Year's Gas Supply
- Credits Will Range from One Cent to $84
- All Customers in Retail Program Saved Money
PITTSBURGH, May 22 /PRNewswire/ -- CNG Retail Services Corporation has
agreed with the Pennsylvania Attorney General to credit certain customers a
total of $46,000, or an average of $2.19 for each customer, for gas supplies
provided in the past year. This results in an average reduction of about
18 cents per month for each of the past 12 month's gas bills.
The agreement was announced late today (Friday) by the Attorney General.
Customers should begin getting credits in their July and August bills. About
21,000 customers are involved. They are among approximately 44,000 who signed
up last year during a "save 10 percent" advertising and direct mail campaign
for CNG Retail's "Peoples Plus" unit in Western Pennsylvania. Peoples Plus
has a total of 87,000 natural gas customers in Western Pennsylvania.
The largest credit to be made will be about $84 to a hospital. Some
customers will get a penny. Only about 300 customers will get more than $10
for the year.
All customers enrolled in the "10 percent" program saved money. About
half saved more than 10 percent, and about half (the 21,000) saved less. The
"10 percent" was measured against average gas usage by customers in the
preceding year. But because of differences in the actual individual pattern
of customer usage in the preceding year, there were differences in actual
percentage savings. CNG Retail's rate was a fixed $3.39 per thousand cubic
feet (mcf).
CNG agreed to the credits because it believes it's important that
consumers have confidence in offers being made under new utility deregulation
programs.
The Attorney General also raised a concern over the company offering
customers who signed two-year or four-year contracts last year the opportunity
to earn credits towards free electricity "in the near future." Under rules
recently worked out by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, most
consumers will not be able to receive electricity through an unregulated
market for another six months.
CNG Retail cooperated fully with the Attorney General's Office in this
matter, and there were no penalties of any kind assessed. CNG Retail has
agreed to reimburse the Attorney General's office $225,000, which will cover
costs incurred in the Attorney General's investigation and also provide funds
for future consumer education.
CNG Retail Services is a unit of Consolidated Natural Gas Company.
Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Consolidated is one of the country's largest
producers, transporters, distributors, and retail marketers of natural gas.
CNG's recent news releases are available 24 hours a day on the Internet,
by fax machine, or by voice recording. On the Internet, use CNG's web site:
http://www.cng.com For faxing, call 1-800-758-5804 on a touch-tone phone and enter
CNG's extension number, which is 203456. From a menu, you will then be able
to select releases that will be faxed to you immediately without charge. For
voice recordings, call 1-888-CNG-NEWS. This line is toll-free.
SOURCE Consolidated Natural Gas Company
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Related links:
http://www.cng.com
CONTACT:
John Conti, 412-690-1133, or home,
412-344-5260, or Dan Donovan, 412-690-1370, or mobile,
412-977-0499, or home, 412-262-3780, both of CNG
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