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NorthWestern Energy May Aid Needy Customers

Posted on: Thursday, 29 September 2005, 18:01 CDT

By Mike Dennison, Billings Gazette, Mont.

Sep. 29--HELENA -- With its customers facing record-high home-heating costs this winter, NorthWestern Energy said Wednesday it may contribute as much as $1 million to help "hardship cases" pay their bills if other companies agree to help out as well.

The offer, made public by NorthWestern President Mike Hanson in a meeting with Gov. Brian Schweitzer, is a promise to match donations made by other companies, up to $1 million.

Hanson said he hopes other energy firms -- particularly oil-and-gas producers and refiners, which are making record profits -- will get the ball rolling.

"They need to step up and provide some money," he said. "I want to tap the big producers."

NorthWestern, which provides electricity and natural gas to more than 300,000 customers in Montana, also is planning a push to help homeowners conserve energy this winter.

The company plans to station employees at hardware stores and home-improvement stores in the state, handing out information on how homeowners can conserve and make their homes more weatherproof, he said.

Hanson said the plan may include more company-financed "energy audits" of homes to identify how homeowners can weatherize their home.

Record-high prices are expected this winter for natural gas, which is used by about 60 percent of Montana households for heating.

NorthWestern just increased its rates, with bills for the typical consumer set to rise by about 27 percent, and company officials have said they expect further increases this winter.

Montana-Dakota Utilities, which has about 70,000 natural gas customers in Eastern Montana, also expects to increase its rates anywhere from 15 percent to 30 percent this winter, said Dan Sharp, an MDU Resources spokesman in Bismarck, N.D.

The NorthWestern proposal would be for its customers in Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska, and probably would focus on natural gas customers, the company said. The majority of its gas customers are in Montana.

Gregg Groepper, executive director of Energy Share Montana, a private group that helps homeowners pay heating bills, said the money could be a big help.

However, he also said its success depends on how the fund is managed and who ends up getting the money.

Energy Share is expecting a huge demand for assistance this winter, he said. It helped 2,400 families in Montana last year, dispensing $950,000. Energy Share depends on donations to fund its efforts.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Billings Gazette, Mont.

Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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NTHWQ,

Source: Billings Gazette, Billings, Montana

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