Natural Gas Rates for Wisconsin Farms
Who is This Rate For?
Seasonal Opportunity Sales Service is for businesses in Wisconsin that use natural gas five months or less from May 1 through Oct. 31, including:
- agribusinesses using grain dryers
- seasonal canning companies
- asphalt plants
How Reliable is the Service This Rate Provides?
Seasonal Opportunity Sales Service provides interruptible gas service for your operation. This means gas service to your operation can be interrupted in an emergency or when demand is very high. In return, you pay less than customers who receive firm gas service.
As with any gas service, unexpected events may also occur (such as a severe storm or a contractor digging into a gas line) that make it impossible to deliver gas to your operation. When this happens, WPS responds immediately to restore service.
How is the Gas I Use Measured?
The amount of gas flowing through your meter is measured in hundred cubic feet (CCF). But you are charged based on the average heat content of the gas delivered — or the number of therms used. One therm is equal to 100,000 British Thermal Units (Btus). One Btu represents the amount of heat needed to raise one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at sea level.
Your bill shows how much gas (CCF) your operation used for the past month and a calculation that converts the amount of gas used (CCF) to reflect the heat content of the gas (therms). The heat content of gas may vary. WPS determines the heat content of the gas received from our supplier during the 30 days preceding your last meter reading date. The result is shown on your monthly bill.
What Charges Are Involved?
Two types of charges appear on your monthly gas bill:
- Local Distribution Service - showing what it costs to deliver gas to your home or business, and
- Gas Supply Service - showing what it costs WPS to buy gas and transport it over the interstate pipeline system
Local Distribution Service
Local Distribution Service is made up of Fixed and Volumetric charges.
- The Fixed charge covers many costs of safe, reliable delivery of natural gas.
These costs exist regardless of how much gas a customer uses. For example, fixed
costs include:
- The gas piping that's required to deliver gas
- Labor and supplies required to maintain the gas main
- Labor and supplies to read the meter
- Qualified people to respond to gas emergencies
- The Fixed Charge is the same for all customers with similar gas use.
- The Volumetric charge on your bill varies each month based on how many therms of gas you use.
Local Distribution Service Charges on Your Gas Bill
| Annual Natural Gas Usage (Customer Class) | Fixed Charge | Volumetric Charge |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 200,000 therms (Cg-FM) | $135 per month | $0.0708 per therm |
| 200,001 or more therms (Cg-FL) | $595 per month | $0.0334 per therm |
* The monthly Fixed charge is billed only during the months when you use more than 30 therms of gas since your last bill. If your gas usage exceeds 30 therms of gas for more than five months in a rolling 12-month period, your bill will include the Fixed charge each month until your gas consumption returns to a level where you use more than 30 therms of gas only five months or less out of each rolling 12-month period.
Gas Supply Service
Gas Supply Service is the purchase, transportation and storage of gas, as well as the management of gas supplies for our customers. It includes:
- Gas Supply Acquisition Service - the purchase and management of gas supplies, as well as the carrying costs of gas bought in the summer and stored for winter use
- Natural Gas Costs - the actual price we pay to purchase gas from suppliers, including the costs of interstate pipeline transportation and storage services
Please note that WPS does not profit from the price of gas, which appears on your bill as Natural Gas Costs. This charge reflects WPS's actual cost for gas.
Several factors can influence your monthly gas use. Major factors that can be measured by WPS are summarized in the lower left-hand corner of your monthly bill.
See the Wisconsin Rate Book for more information.