THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 1996 TAG: 9602170350
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: NEWPORT NEWS LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
The effects of the Blizzard of '96 are being felt in the wallet - utility bills have arrived.
When the storm roared through the state in early January, it kept meter readers from doing their job. So utilities estimated January bills.
Customers are charged an estimated amount for that month based on their usage for the same period a year ago, said Virginia Natural Gas spokeswoman Margie Ives.
Since the average temperature last winter was about 10 degrees warmer than this year's, Ives said most customers with estimated bills for the last billing cycle were undercharged. That means higher bills this month.
Traci Schlosser's gas bill for the Jan. 10 to Feb. 9 billing period was $312.54, or $10.34 a day.
The Hampton woman had paid just $3.50 a day for her previous gas bill, which was based, in part, on her usage for December 1994 when the average daily temperature was a balmy 54 degrees.
``It was sort of a shock to open the bill and see it that much higher than the month before,'' she said. ``It would have been nice to have some sort of prior notification.''
Virginia Power determines its estimates on current temperatures as well as last year's usage.
Still, Virginia Power bills for the month after an estimated bill almost always include an adjustment, said Marvin Walker, director of customer services for the company's Peninsula office.
Virginia Power printed a warning on last month's bills to customers reading: ``Due to the recent severe weather your bill is estimated this month. The next normal reading will adjust your billing to reflect actual use.''
Virginia Natural Gas prints ``ESTIMATED USE'' next to the account balance on bills that have been estimated, but the company doesn't provide an explanation on subsequent bills that adjust for the undercharging, Ives said. by CNB