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Can’t Afford Another Mammoth Gas Bill? Averaging Your Yearly Bill Can Help You Smooth Out The Spikes
Gas bills are expensive this time of year, but there are ways to make it more affordable.
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Kwon Junho
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Unsplash
)
Topline:
Thousands of Angelenos were caught off guard last month when SoCalGas bills skyrocketed. If you don’t want to feel that pain in the wallet again, there’s a program that can make those expensive bills more manageable.
What’s the program? It’s called the Level Pay Plan, and the utility says it helps “smooth out the ups and downs” of your bill. This isn’t a discount program — instead it averages out your annual gas use and costs over 12 months. SoCalGas estimates your bill based on your history and projected future rates.
How can it help my wallet? Your bill will be the average, not your actual charges. You may pay less than your actual gas usage in the winter, but pay more than normal in the typically low summer months. It’s a way for you to make those gas spikes (like we just had) more affordable in the long run. Gas estimates are updated every six months.
How do I sign up? Level Pay is open to most residential SoCalGas customers, and some business customers. You can fill out the enrollment form online under the bill pay section. (And by the way, Long Beach Utilities has this program too).
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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