At Summit Natural Gas of Maine (Summit), our goal is to provide safe, reliable, clean and affordable natural gas to individuals, families and businesses through exceptional customer service and a commitment to community.
Summit is proud to maintain a state-of-the-art natural gas distribution system. In order to continue to provide service to thousands of customers for home heating, hot water, cooking and more, we must maintain and invest in more than 300 miles of pipeline while continuing to provide the quality customer service you’ve come to expect for this local natural gas utility company. These are the services that are paid for through our rates.
The rate plan that was established in 2013 when Summit first began serving communities in Maine is expiring; however, the cost to operate our system is exceeding what we are collecting in rates. When the cost of operating and maintaining our system surpasses what customers are paying in rates, we must request a change in our rates from the Maine Public Utilities Commission (Commission), in the form of a rate case.
At Summit, we work hard to keep our rates low while continuing to invest in our infrastructure and building natural gas service to new communities. The revenue from our rates goes toward:
Our pipeline infrastructure is essential to reducing emissions and achieving deep decarbonization in the states we operate in, which is why Summit is working to lead the way in developing and integrating low carbon, carbon neutral and carbon negative fuels into our gas supply.
Summit is leading the way in reducing emissions by investing in innovative technologies that reduce the emissions of our system and the energy we provide our customers:
From the day of our filing, the Commission has nine months to review materials, hold hearings and gather input from the public before issuing a decision. We requested that our new rates become effective by January 1, 2023.
We understand that any adjustment in rates can impact our customers, which is why we are proposing a gradual rate adjustment over the coming years, to limit the overall impact on customer bills at one time.
This will increase predictability for customers, limit the annual impact to their heating bills, and allow us to keep up with the cost of our operations.
Under the proposed plan, the average monthly increases to Summit’s distribution and service & facility rates, which do not include the cost of gas itself, would vary for different customer classes, as shown in this table.
As the case continues, we will be updating this website with information about our filing and additional resources.
To view our initial rate case filing, click here.
To follow along with the proceeding visit the Maine Public Utilities Commission’s online Case Management System.
Click here for resources on budget billing and other billing options.
Call 1.800.909.7642 with questions about the rate case, efficiency tips, billing options and more. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to be your natural gas provider, and are truly committed to providing you with safe, reliable and affordable natural gas service. Our proposed rate adjustment will help us achieve that goal.