Columbia Gas of Ohio customers could see their minimum monthly bills jump each year from 2028-2030, no matter how much natural gas they actually use.
The utility filed a preliminary proposal for a base rate increase with the Public Utilities Commission (PUCO) of Ohio on Sept. 18. Base gas rates, if approved, would jump $14.79 to $68.05 per month in 2028, another $5.11 to $72.92 per month in 2029 and an additional $4.41 to $77.12 monthly in 2030 under the proposal for residential customers.
Since this is just the base rate, customers would pay these amounts regardless of when or how much they keep their heat running, or use other gas-powered appliances like ovens or water heaters. The base rate doesn't include other parts of your gas bill, like the cost
of the gas you use or the transport costs to deliver that gas.
Columbia Gas of Ohio serves nearly 1.5 million customers across 61 of Ohio's 88 counties.
In its proposal, Columbia Gas of Ohio estimated that a household using 10 mcf (or 10 thousand cubic feet of natural gas) per month would pay $137.56 per month in 2026 when accounting for estimated gas costs with the new base rate. That's up from an estimated $122.77 under current rates and gas estimates, according to the proposal.
But those estimates will almost certainly change. Current global conflicts, like that between the United States and Iran, extreme weather events and other factors can spike natural gas prices. Energy Innovation, a nonpartisan energy and climate policy think tank, reported that from 2024 to 2025 alone, gas prices rose 63%. By 2027, they could jump another 30%, according to the think tank.
The Columbia rate increase proposal comes at a time when all aspects of Americans' lives are becoming more expensive, including groceries, health care, child care and other utilities like electricity.
Columbia Gas explains why increase needed
"We strive to balance affordability with reliability and safety. We recognize that many Ohio families are already managing higher household costs at this time," the utility said in a prepared email to The Dispatch.
"The case will focus on the local delivery system ... that brings natural gas to homes and businesses every day. Columbia is proposing to recover the costs necessary to operate its natural gas infrastructure, including the continued replacement of aging infrastructure, system monitoring technology, and emergency response capabilities. Our customers demand reliable and safe service, particularly in the coldest months of the year, and these investments support our ability to provide that service."
Since it filed its last increase in 2021, Columbia Gas said that many costs that it incurs, such as paying contractors to work on the system and purchasing pipe and other materials, have risen. Those costs will be the subject of review in this rate proceeding, the utility said.
Advocates ask customers to speak up
The Ohio Consumers Counsel said in a statement to The Dispatch that it plans to intervene in the case on behalf of Ohioans, and is assembling a legal team to peruse the request and "advocate for rates that are no higher than necessary to provide safe and reliable natural gas service."
Maureen Willis, the state consumer advocacy group's director, encouraged Columbia Gas customers to participate in next year's public hearings and make their concerns known to the utility company and PUCO.
Columbia Gas must still submit an application to PUCO explaining the math behind the rate increases. PUCO then has 180 days to review and make a decision on that application, which will include hearings for public comment.
A decision on the rate case will likely not come until summer 2027, according to a PUCO spokesperson.
This is Columbia Gas' second rate increase proposal in the last five years. Columbia Gas' last ask in 2021 was originally more than $220 million before PUCO approved a $68 million rate increase. In 2023, the Environmental Law & Policy Center and the Citizens’ Utility Board of Ohio challenged that increase in court.
In June, the Ohio Supreme Court dismissed the challenge to PUCO's approved deal.
Business and consumer issues reporter Samantha Hendrickson can be reached at shendrickson@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Your Columbia Gas bills could rise no matter how much gas you use
