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Who is Selling You Natural Gas?

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Tuesday, August 14, 2012   

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Ohio natural gas customers could be bombarded by retail marketers by means ranging from phone calls to mailings to knocks on the door with offers to purchase natural gas from them instead of their usual gas utilities. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio is considering allowing utilities to stop buying natural gas for customers through a wholesale auction and requiring families to buy from third-party marketers who sell directly to customers.

While some claim retail competition would keep prices low, it could actually result in higher bills for most customers. The executive director of Ohio Partners for Affordable Energy, Dave Rinebolt, says currently there's no mark-up with utilities selling natural gas.

"But when you buy from a marketer, they of course are in the business to make a profit, so buying gas from a marketer is almost always going to cost more than buying gas from a natural gas utility."

To add to the problem, Rinebolt says, offers from unregulated marketers can be confusing to customers and some end up paying a higher price than they should.

Dominion East Ohio has filed a motion with the PUCO to exit the auction, known as the "merchant function." If approved, other Ohio utilities could follow suit.

Columbia Gas of Ohio has been offering its customers the choice to use a retail marketer since 1998. Rinebolt says a 2010 audit found participating customers paid nearly $545 million more for natural gas when buying from marketers rather than purchasing directly from the utility.

He says marketers simply want to sell gas at the highest price they can get, but large-scale auctions produce the lowest price.

"You've got a whole bunch of customers, and the utility is buying natural gas in bulk for those customers. And like anything else you buy, when you buy in bulk you get the best price."

Rinebolt says the PUCO has already received letters from consumers opposed to the proposed changes. He says all natural gas customers interested in keeping their bills low should speak up.

"Electric rates in large parts of the state are going up, natural gas rates have gone down, and that's been very good for consumers. We shouldn't support changes in regulation that will raise prices for customers."






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