ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota regulators have approved a rate hike for CenterPoint Energy but not as much as the natural gas company sought.
The permanent rate increase for the Houston-based company’s 823,000 Minnesota customers is less than the 4.9 percent interim increase authorized last October. As a result, most customers will see a small refund later this year.
Overall, CenterPoint had sought a 5 percent increase, but an administrative law judge recommended about 3.7 percent. The final increase likely will be around 4 percent.
The Star Tribune (https://strib.mn/1l3Ztao ) reports the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission also ordered a change in how CenterPoint’s customers are billed.
On a 3-2 vote, the commission ordered a three-year billing experiment aimed at strengthening CenterPoint’s energy conservation efforts and smoothing out swings in customers’ bills. The program would not begin until July 2015.
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Information from: Star Tribune, https://www.startribune.com
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