ST. LOUIS, April 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, as
required by the state of Missouri,
Laclede Gas proposed a rate change with the Missouri Public Service
Commission. The plan outlines Laclede's ongoing investments to upgrade
technology for easier and faster customer service and a continued
commitment to modernize pipeline infrastructure, all while creating
benefits for customers through growth. It details accelerated
infrastructure upgrades and significant cost savings, which combine
to keep price increases down to $3.70
per month for the typical residential customer. This is the first
requested increase to customer delivery charges in four years and
represents a $29 million net
increase. Even with this increase, customer bills will still be
lower than they were 10 years ago.
"I'm so proud of our employees for delivering on the promise to
get natural gas to our customers safely and reliably every
day. We also promise to keep costs low, and this plan shows that
we're working hard to honor that commitment to our customers," said
Laclede Gas CEO Steve Lindsey.
"We've managed to keep customer bills lower than they were 10 years
ago while accelerating important infrastructure upgrades. In fact,
customer bills will be 14 percent lower than they were in
2007."
Lindsey continued, "In the four years since we submitted our
last plan, we increased the number of construction jobs and pushed
ourselves to replace more than 310 miles of pipeline. And, we've
upgraded our outdated technology systems so that, this fall,
customers will experience faster and easier service with mobile
technology. We've been able to make these upgrades and hold
costs down by balancing the price of upgrades with the lower cost
of natural gas and our ability to significantly cut operating
costs. Lower operating costs are a direct benefit of growing our
company—with a larger company we've been able to spread costs among
more customers. And that's a really good thing for our
customers."
In addition to maintaining a safe and reliable system every day,
the plan outlines service enhancements:
- New this fall, customers will experience faster and easier
service, including:
-
- Freshly designed online experience
- 24/7 appointment scheduling and more evening appointment
hours
- Account alerts to keep you on track
- Account management by text
- Advanced mobile technology will provide customer service and
field workers with the tools to get work done more effectively and
efficiently
- We're able to respond even faster when customers call about
possible gas leaks
- We've enhanced programs to help all customers with energy
efficiency, rebates and payment plans
ABOUT LACLEDE GAS
COMPANY
At Laclede Gas we believe energy exists to help make people's lives
better. It's a simple idea, but one that's at the heart of our
company. Every day our natural gas utility serves 640,000 customers
including residential, commercial and industrial homes and
businesses in St. Louis
metropolitan areas and 10 counties in Missouri. Laclede Gas is a subsidiary of Spire
Inc. (NYSE: SR). For more information, please visit
www.LacledeGas.com.
CONTACT: Jenny
Gobble/314.342.3300
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/laclede-gas-outlines-plan-to-modernize-operations-and-enhance-customer-service-300438088.html
SOURCE Laclede Gas Company