DOVER, Del. — The Delaware Public Service Commission has approved a settlement that will raise base natural gas rates for Chesapeake Utilities Corporation customers for the first time in nearly a decade.
Under the agreement finalized June 18, Chesapeake residential home heating customers will see their bills increase by about 6 percent. The company says that will add roughly $5.37 per month for an average household. Residential non-heating customers will pay 6.5% more, amounting to an increase of about $2.74 per month.
Chesapeake originally filed its rate case on Aug. 12, 2024, requesting $12.1 million in additional revenue, later revising the figure upward to $12.8 million. The Delaware Division of the Public Advocate says the approved settlement reduced that amount by more than half, to $6.1 million.
“We know every dollar counts for Delaware families, so we pushed to cut Chesapeake’s original request by half,” Delaware Public Advocate Jameson Tweedie said in a statement. “This agreement keeps monthly fixed charges the same and helps limit the impact on customer bills.”
Chesapeake began charging the interim rates on May 1, aligning with the final settlement amount, so no further increases will appear on future bills as a result of this decision.
The settlement does not resolve an ongoing debate over rate design, which remains under review in a separate Public Service Commission proceeding.