WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – As cold temperatures continue across Kansas and the region, concerns for some are shifting from staying warm to how much it will cost to keep it warm. Some communities in the state are trying to prepare people for a shock when they open their gas bills this month.
The price that gas companies are paying for gas has increased dramatically. The question is how much of this will be passed on to customers. For now, this is a difficult question to answer. Eyewitness News contacted Black Hills Energy and Kansas Gas Service with this question. Both say it is too early to know how customers will be affected. What we do know is that we are learning in Kansas City, like Hesston and Moundridge. Both took steps to prepare their residents for a significant increase in the amount they will pay in the next energy bills.
Moundridge distributes natural gas to its residents, which it purchases from the Kansas City Gas Agency. Moundridge city administrator Murray McGee said, according to the agency, that the price they pay for a unit of natural gas jumped from $ 3 per unit last Monday to $ 329 per unit on Friday.
“We don’t know exactly what the final number is going to look at. We were told to prepare for utility gas bills that can be 10 to 20 times their normal rates, ”said McGee. “So it can be a significant impact for each individual customer. Of course, it will also have a big impact on the city of Moundridge. “
To put this in perspective using the numbers provided to McGee, a customer whose gas bill is typically around $ 100 can expect to pay $ 1,000 to $ 2,000. The price paid for natural gas units is to blame for the big jump.
Black Hills Energy, which serves eight Midwestern states, including 115,000 customers in Kansas, said its main focus is on ensuring that people have gas available. But what Kansans will see in his accounts is unclear.
“We are trying to provide as much information as possible to our customers,” said James Williams of Black Hills Energy. “We want to be frank with the way the situation is presented. But there are still many unanswered things for us as well. “
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