Citizens Energy in Indianapolis is trying to pull a fast one.
For several years, our gas budget payment hasn’t changed. Gas has only gotten cheaper and cheaper thanks to fracking, if I’m reading the news correctly. Yeah, last winter was a doozy, and this past April was the coldest April on record in the past 20 years, but the fact is, our gas payment easily sufficed to pay for all the therms we consumed this winter, and right now our balance with them is only about $10 more than the payment for this month.
Yet next month, they are raising our budget rate $26 a month. Which is a hefty increase, percentage-wise.
Citizens Energy started out as Citizens Gas (well, Citizens Gas and Coke, but nobody has called it that for years) and was established as a public trust owned by the city of Indianapolis as trustee for the citizens of Indianapolis. Its mission was to provide natural gas at the lowest possible price for its customers.
Somehow, I don’t see that happening right now.