National Fuel Gas projects 10.2 percent increase in costs

ERIE, Pa. — National Fuel Gas Distribution Corp., which has some 209,000 customers in 14 counties in northwestern Pennsylvania, including Mercer and Venango, is projecting an increase in overall gas-cost expense totaling about $19.7 million or 10.2 percent beginning Aug. 1.

National Fuel has submitted to the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission its required annual purchased gas-cost projection for gas purchases to be made beginning Aug. 1 through July 31, 2013.

If approved as filed, in August, the monthly bill for a typical residential customer using 95,000-cubic feet of natural gas annually would increase from $84.87 to $95.51 per month.

In addition, the company’s monthly metered transportation customers, typically large commercial or industrial customers, will also see an increase from 23 cents to 31 cents per thousand cubic feet.

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