ST. LOUIS, April 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, as
required by the state of Missouri,
Missouri Gas Energy (MGE) proposed a rate change with the Missouri
Public Service Commission. The plan outlines MGE'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 $5.50 per month for the
typical residential customer. This is the first requested increase
to customer delivery charges in nearly four years and represents a
$37 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
MGE 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 11 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 250 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upgraded our outdated technology systems so that, this fall,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 MISSOURI GAS
ENERGY
At Missouri Gas Energy 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
500,000 customers including residential, commercial and industrial
homes and businesses in Kansas
City metropolitan areas and 31 counties in Missouri. MGE is a subsidiary of Spire Inc.
(NYSE: SR). For more information, please visit
www.MissouriGasEnergy.com.
CONTACT: Jenny
Gobble/314.342.3300
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/missouri-gas-energy-outlines-plan-to-modernize-operations-and-enhance-customer-service-300438089.html
SOURCE Missouri Gas Energy