Published November 7, 2023 As days get colder and nights get longer, Minnesotans are reminded of another never-ending cycle: utilities across the state have yet again requested to increase rates. On November 1, 2023, CenterPoint and Xcel Energy filed petitions with the Public Utilities Commission seeking to raise rates for natural gas service and Minnesota…
Published November 1, 2023 In February 2021, Winter Storm Uri caused natural gas prices to spike across the country. Over a five-day period, Minnesota’s four largest gas utilities incurred approximately $660 million in extraordinary costs serving their Minnesota customers. Most of those costs continue to be recovered today through surcharges added to Minnesotans’ bills. Thankfully,…
Published September 26, 2023 So, you’re a few months behind on your energy bill, and you’ve received a disconnection notice. Don’t panic – there are avenues to find your way out of this situation and keep your power or gas on without breaking the bank. Keep reading for our step-by-step guide to avoiding disconnection: 1….
Published August 31, 2023 In the first blog post of this series, The Energy Highway: How Electricity Reaches Your Home, we introduced the general components of the electric grid: generation, transmission, and distribution. Together, these systems form a network that produces electricity and transports it to your home and the businesses you frequent. This post…
Published July 27, 2023 Any Minnesotan opening their natural gas bill already knows this: the cost of gas delivered to our homes and businesses continues to rise year over year, and many ratepayers are feeling the pain. After many years of gas price declines, much of the noticeable increase in the last few years has…
Published April 6, 2023 On March 23, 2023, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission accepted a settlement that increased rates for Xcel Energy’s natural gas customers. The agreement was negotiated by the company, the Department of Commerce, the Office of the Attorney General, the Suburban Rate Authority, and a group of clean energy organizations (Fresh Energy…
Published February 27, 2023 On November 1, 2022, Minnesota Energy Resources Corporation (“MERC”) filed an application with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (the “PUC”) requesting an increase in natural gas rates of $40,322,302 (a 9.91 percent increase). How much MERC will ultimately be allowed to raise rates will be determined by the PUC following an…
Published January 10, 2023 CUB is pleased to have played an important role in a new regulatory development: Minnesota will now require its three largest natural gas utilities to file integrated resource plans (IRPs)! This blog post provides an overview of how this requirement arose and why it matters. On September 15, 2022, Minnesota’s four largest…
Published December 14, 2022 Last week, the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) affirmed its decision that gas utilities must share in the costs of a severe natural gas price spike that occurred in February of last year. Winter Storm Uri, which occurred over Presidents’ Day weekend in February 2021, froze natural gas infrastructure in Texas and…
Published November 23, 2022 On September 23, the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) accepted and adopted a settlement that established increased rates for CenterPoint Energy Minnesota Gas (CenterPoint) customers. Residential customers will see the interim rate of 3.9 percent which went into effect on January 1, 2022, become permanent. Below is a brief summary and…
