Customers who get natural gas through Puget Sound Energy will see a 14 percent rate increase starting Nov. 1.
For the typical residential PSE customer, that translates to about $8 more per month for an average monthly bill of $68, according to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, which approved the rate increase Thursday.
Bellevue-based PSE provides natural gas service to more than 800,000 customers in Thurston, Lewis, King, Kittitas, Pierce, and Snohomish counties.
Natural gas companies put in for cost adjustments each year with the Utilities and Transportation Commission based on changes in the wholesale market, since the cost of gas is passed on to customers.
This year’s rate increase is tied to an increase in wholesale prices following an October 2018 pipeline rupture near Prince George, British Columbia. The Enbridge pipeline serves markets in Canada, Washington, Oregon and Idaho, and the rupture caused capacity delays throughout last winter.
