East Ohio service will not be cut off

By Don Shilling

A state agency is trying to reassure Dominion East Ohio customers that they still will have natural gas service April 1.

The Ohio Consumers’ Counsel said Friday that customers may have been confused by a postcard sent out by Dominion East Ohio Energy, which is an independent affiliate of the utility.

The notice said “you have been identified as a natural gas customer that will no longer receive gas supply from Dominion East Ohio beginning April 2009.” It continues by saying that the customer’s gas supply will be assigned to another company.

The OCC, which represents consumers at the state level, issued a press release Friday that said no Dominion East Ohio customers will be left without gas. The utility will still be arranging delivery of gas and transporting that gas to customers.

The change coming April 1 is on the bills of customers who have not selected another supplier in the company’s energy choice program.

In the past, Dominion East Ohio was listed as the supplier, but it actually delivered gas that was obtained from a pool of suppliers. Starting next month, a specific supplier will be assigned to those customers and will be listed on the bill.

Customers who already have selected another supplier will continue to have that supplier.

Dan Donovan, a spokesman for Dominion East Ohio Energy, said he did not consider the postcard misleading.

The company was informing people that they were being assigned a supplier under the new program, called Standard Choice Offer or SCO, he said. Dominion East Ohio Energy wanted those customers to know that they could choose another supplier, he said.

The SCO rates will be set by market prices with an additional fee for suppliers that was determined by an auction. Customers who select suppliers under the energy choice program agree to prices that are offered by those suppliers.