ROANOKE GAS SAYS SALES UP 10 PERCENT

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, January 26, 1993                   TAG: 9301260037
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: A7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: George Kegley
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short
ROANOKE GAS SAYS SALES UP 10 PERCENT
The sales volume of the Roanoke Gas Co. rose almost 10 percent in the October-December quarter because temperatures were 15 percent colder than a year ago, president Frank Farmer said Monday at the utility's annual shareholders meeting.
But after a colder first quarter, January has been 15 percent warmer and the fiscal year has had normal weather, Farmer said.
He predicted gas prices will rise with the consumer price index and level off at half that rate. Demand has caught up with an oversupply in the gas industry, he said.
Although last year's weather was 8 percent warmer than normal, he said, the company's sales were up 12 percent to 3 percent more customers. New natural gas and propane customers are being added at an increasing rate, Farmer said.
The recent State Corporation Commission approval of a 1.6 percent rate increase, amounting to $657,000 a year, also brought approval of higher depreciation rates that will increase cash flow 36 percent, Farmer told his stockholders.
The stockholders re-elected Farmer and 10 other directors.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB