Manitoba

 

Figure 8: Sample monthly residential gas bill – based on 7.37 GJ of consumption

Source: Public Utilities Board

Description:

This stacked area graph shows the breakdown of residential natural gas bills from November 2009 to January 2018. The sample bill is for 7.37 GJ of consumption per month in the province of Manitoba. The graph shows the amount spent on three bill components: the commodity price, variable charges, and fixed charges.

The commodity price component has fluctuated, but decreased from $43.80 per month on November 2009, to $16.45 per month on January 2018.

Variable charges increased slightly from $55.89 per month in November 2009 to $59.53 per month in January 2018.

Fixed charges remained fairly constant, increasing slightly from $13.00 per month in November 2009 to $14.00 per month by January 2018.

Natural gas provider

Centra Gas Manitoba Inc., a subsidiary of the Crown corporation Manitoba Hydro, is the local distribution company (LDC) and largest retailer in Manitoba. Nine natural gas marketers are registered with the Public Utilities Board and can sell natural gas in the province.

Commodity price

The ‘primary gas’ charge is the commodity price of gas on Centra Gas bills. This consumption based charge is updated quarterly and is approved by the Public Utilities Board (PUB). The commodity price decreased from $43.80 per month ($5.94 per GJ) on November 2009, to $16.45 per month ($2.23 per GJ) on January 2018.

Variable charges

The variable component of Centra Gas bills is comprised of three charges. The ‘supplemental gas’ charge collects money that goes towards buying and storing natural gas. This inventory is used to ensure a reliable supply throughout the year. The transportation charge collects money that pays for the costs of moving natural gas from markets to Centra Gas' distribution system. Lastly, the distribution charge is based on the cost of moving gas through Centra Gas' distribution system to customers. Variable charges have remained fairly constant. These charges increased from $55.89 per month ($7.58 per GJ) in November 2009 to $59.53 per month ($8.08 per GJ) in January 2018.

Fixed charges

The ‘basic monthly charge’ is a fixed, per month charge. This charge collects revenue to pay for the cost of customer service, meter reading, billing, and the service line that connects a household to the distribution system. This charge has remained fairly constant, increasing slightly from $13.00 per month in November 2009 to $14.00 per month by January 2018.

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