The program, which the company hopes to start next year, would allow customers to purchase monthly offset "blocks" that would represent a portion of their natural gas usage.
Updating results
Black Hills Energy said 13,557 customers this year enrolled in its annual fixed-price option, the most since 2008.
Black Hills Energy has opened enrollment for its annual price option for residential customers, which allows them to pay a predetermined price for natural gas during the winter.
Black Hills is done investigating and traffic is reopened.
Customer bills could be higher or lower based on how much gas they actually use. The 58% estimate is based on the actual cost of natural gas, which Black Hills passes on to customers.
The program isn't necessarily to save customers money, but it allows people to lock in their natural gas price and avoid huge cost increases like the one caused by the February cold snap.
The company will add a monthly surcharge to customer bills for three years to recoup more than $80 million. The increase will cost residential customers an average of $10 a month.
Northwestern Energy will levy monthly surcharges on customers starting June 1 to recoup the more than $25 million it spent on natural gas in February.
Affected customers will have their gas shut off for a short time, but it should be restored the same day.
The commission also plans to hold workshops with the natural gas companies it regulates to explore ways to mitigate the costs associated with last month's extreme cold snap.
In Lincoln, increases are expected to be linked solely to increased usage, not rate hikes.
Gas and electric bills could be higher because of demand and power costs during the cold spell.
The Public Service Commission and Black Hills agreed on a rate increase that's $6.6 million less than what was originally proposed.
Black Hills, which supplies natural gas to homes and businesses in Lincoln and across Nebraska, has set a goal of reducing emissions 50% by 2035 in its natural gas operation.
Black Hills Energy employee received "Citizens Certificate of Merit" for performing CPR on a person before the medics arrived.
The eastbound lanes on O Street between 33rd and 35th streets will remain closed as Black Hills Energy continues to repair the natural gas main line in that area.
O Street will be closed between 33rd and 35th streets to allow crews to investigate reports of a possible gas leak.
The increase is an interim one, pending the Public Service Commission's review of its application to to raise rates permanently.
The company had temporarily suspended non-payment disconnections and late-payment fees on March 16 to help its customers deal with the financial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
Black Hills said the rate increase would vary based on customer and usage, but the average residential customer would see an increase of $4.46 a month, or about $53.50 a year.
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