Poplarville natural gas customers will see an increase on bills of about 3 percent after the Mississippi Public Service Commission approved a rate increase for CenterPoint Energy July 6.
CenterPoint sought approval to increase the monthly base charge by 60 cents per cubic foot. In addition to the increase in the base charge, average customers can expect to see an increase of $1.21 per month, according to the Associated Press.
The increase puts the average customer’s monthly bill at $40.34.
This will increase the company’s revenue by about $2.3 million, according to the AP.
In addition, the PSC also approved an 11-cent monthly increase to pay for an energy efficiency program.
Poplarville City Clerk Jane O’Neal said CenterPoint serves customers living inside Poplarville’s city limits and some surrounding areas.
CenterPoint also serves areas along the Gulf Coast, the suburban areas of the cities of Jackson, Laurel and Oxford, and areas in the north end of the state, according to the company’s website.
This change will not affect residents in the city of Picayune. Because Picayune operates its own gas system it will not be affected by these rate increases.
City Clerk Amber Hinton said in an emailed statement that the city has no intention of raising rates for the next fiscal year.