A spokesperson for Kansas Gas Service says it’s still too early to tell how last winter’s bitter cold temperatures will affect customers’ natural gas bills.
KGS Community Relations Manager Lauren Clary spoke Thursday at Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple’s weekly news briefing. She said KGS has been working with the Kansas Corporation Commission on the issue, and the costs from last February’s cold snap were deferred to ensure that customers continued to receive service.
The KCC has required utility companies to submit plans for recovery of the costs that resulted from a huge spike in natural gas prices during the cold snap. The agency has not received plans from Evergy or Kansas Gas Service at this time.
Clary said KGS partnered with the City of Wichita to provide winterization kits for local residents, and they were distributed through the Colvin and Atwater neighborhood resource centers. Only a few kits remain.
Clary offered advice for residents to help lower natural gas costs for this winter. She says people should set the temperature on their hot water heater to 120 degrees, and if they’re going to be away from home for a couple of days, they can put the setting on pilot to save costs. Clary said people should also replace or clean their furnace filters, and they can buy low-cost items like door sweeps or foam weather seal at hardware stores. More information is available at kansasgasservice.com/winter
