State utility regulators ordered two natural gas companies to return $120 million in overcharges to Connecticut households and businesses
Regulators found both companies collected more from customers than they were allowed to between 2020 and 2022
Customers in dozens of towns, from the shoreline to greater Hartford, will see the money returned through November 2027
Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) ordered two natural gas companies owned by Avangrid to return $120 million they overcollected from roughly 400,000 Connecticut households and businesses by Nov. 30, 2027.
As a result of the prior decision effective December 1, 2024, the average residential customer of CNG and SCG experienced monthly bill decreases, and will continue to experience a cumulative decrease of $8.83 and $3.34 per month, respectively, through November 20207 as a result of the decision, according to Consumer Counsel Claire Coleman .
The CT Mirror ** reported** last week that PURA – the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority – made its decision following an appeal from natural gas companies regarding an earlier decision by a previous PURA board.
Southern Connecticut Gas ** has 213,000 customers** in 24 towns along the south-central shoreline: Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Stratford, Trumbull, Westbrook, Weston, Westport, Clinton, Deep River, Essex, Old Saybrook, Westbrook, Branford, East Haven, Guilford, Hamden, Madison, Milford, New Haven, North Branford, North Haven, Orange, West Haven, and Woodbridge.
Connecticut Natural Gas has ** 189,000 customers** in Greenwich, Avon, Berlin, Bloomfield, Canton, East Hartford, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hartford, Manchester, New Britain, Newington, Rocky Hill, Simsbury, Unionville, West Hartford, Wethersfield, Windsor, East Hampton, Portland, Bolton, Coventry, Hebron, and Mansfield.
PURA determined that SGC had ** overcharged its customers** $96 million more than it was allowed to in 2021; CNG overcharged its customers $24 million more than it was allowed in 2020, 2021 and 2022.
All of these natural gas customers – households and businesses – represent 1.63 million people, which is nearly half the population of Connecticut.
By Lawrence Cook
