Natural gas bills will ‘decrease slightly’ on Western Slope, Roaring Fork Valley
Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times archives
Black Hills Energy customers on the Western Slope will see a small decrease in their natural gas bills this quarter, according to the company’s 2025 fourth-quarter Gas Cost Adjustment filing.
The filing, approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, confirms that average monthly bills will decline slightly in areas including the entire Roaring Fork Valley, Senior Public Affairs Manager Jason Auslander said.
The GCA was recently approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, and also showed customers will experience a slight increase in eastern Colorado. The GCA is filed quarterly with the CPUC to reflect the projected cost of natural gas for the next three months, according to a press release.
“Every quarter we adjust the gas rate,” Auslander said. “That’s the best way we can keep up with what the current exchange rate is and keep customer bills as low as possible.”
The fourth quarter adjustment took effect Oct. 1. It shows changing natural gas costs in all three base rate areas in Colorado — the table below reflects those changes to residential customer bills after the Oct. 1 gas cost adjustment:
“In western Colorado, average bills will decrease just about 3% due to an adjustment over the last quarter,” the press release states. “The monthly bill in eastern Colorado will rise due to increased natural gas costs by an average of 5% to 8%.”
The price of natural gas is known as a “pass-through cost,” which according to the press release means that Black Hills Energy makes no money on it, and customers pay market rates and no more. In other words, “you pay what we pay” plus the charge for bringing to a house, Auslander said.
Black Hills Energy also offers multiple programs to help those who struggle to pay bills, including extended payment arrangements, budget billing, and payment assistance. Those interested can visit https://www.blackhillsenergy.com/billing-and-payments/energy-assistance-programs for more information.
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