Relief for utility customers is urged

Amid high gas prices, PUC could move up climate credits, which normally go out in April and October.

Although Southern California Gas Co. customers will be paying 68% less for natural gas this month than in January, prices are still well above last year’s levels.

Relief may be on the way sooner than expected: The California Public Utilities Commission will meet Thursday to consider whether to accelerate payments of the California Climate Credit.

The credit was put in place to offset higher energy costs for consumers from a cap-and-trade program through which the California Air Resources Board sells carbon pollution permits to industrial greenhouse gas emitters.

The payments, which are typically made in April and October, may be moved up to February. They are designed to cover the cost of a government program meant to cut carbon emissions, though, not to respond to higher wholesale natural gas prices, a CPUC spokesman said.

The 2023 Natural Gas California Climate Credit will amount to $50.77 for SoCalGas customers, per the CPUC website.

Los Angeles customers will not receive a credit on their electric bills, as the CPUC does not regulate city-owned utilities. The average credit for customers of investor-owned electric utilities will be $62.

Republican state senators wrote a letter Monday to the commission urging it to expedite the distribution of California Climate Credits.

The CPUC will “consider accelerating the Climate Credit that customers receive on their bills in order to provide much needed support,” the commission said in a statement.

At its Feb. 7 meeting, the commission will “explore potential measures to mitigate the impact of natural gas and electric market volatility,” the statement said.

In the meantime, Southland residents can stay warm while conserving natural gas by dressing in layers of wool and synthetic fabrics, sealing cracks and gaps that admit drafts, opening window shades during daylight hours and using a fireplace or pellet-burning stove.