Saskatchewan’s natural gas rates are coming down substantially, just as outside temperatures start to go up.
The provincial cabinet has approved a recommendation from the Saskatchewan Rate Review Panel to set SaskEnergy’s commodity rate at $5.96 per gigajoule as of April 1.
That figure is 21 percent lower than the price consumers have been paying and the lowest since 2003.
Farmers will save about $30 per month while other residential customers will save about $23.
In February, which was 12 percent colder than normal, SaskEnergy announced it had applied to cut its rate from $8.51 to $6.23 per GJ.
Earlier this month, the utility updated its request to include an even lower price.
“SaskEnergy continues to offer stable rates, using a 12-month forward pricing outlook, as recommended by the rate review panel,” crown corporations minister Ken Cheveldayoff said March 25 as he announced the approval.
The utility charges its customers only what it pays suppliers on the natural gas open market.
The delivery charge on consumers’ bills will remain the same.
