Notice about our Residential Essential Service (RES) Programs:

Beginning January 2017, Washington Gas will implement changes to the Residential Essential Service (RES) Program, including the surcharge and enrollment process, as approved by the Public Service Commission (PSC) of the District of Columbia.

Res Credits

Eligible customers will receive an approximate 25% discount on the total bill. This will be achieved through a 55% discount on the distribution service, which includes the customer and distribution charges. When the price of natural gas as determined by the Purchased Gas Charge (“PGC”) price per therm rises above 50% of the base year price for a given month, customers will automatically receive an increase to the discount on the distribution portion of the bill to 70%. The RES credit will be presented as a separate line item on customers’ bills showing the dollar credit.

Avoided Costs

As a beneficiary of the RES credit, eligible customers are exempt from certain regulatory surcharges or avoided costs. These avoided costs consist of the Sustainable Energy Trust Fund surcharge, the Energy Assistance Trust Fund surcharge and the RES surcharge. The cost of these avoided surcharges is at least $2.10 per month, assuming an average RES monthly usage of 110 therms. Customers will see a total of all the surcharges avoided in aggregate, not broken-out individually. However, it is important to note that customers are still responsible for all applicable taxes and the PROJECTpipes surcharge.

Enrollment & Retroactive Credits

The RES program is specific to the heating season and credits will be applied to RES customer bills from November through April. Retroactive RES credits will be received for the entire prior heating season for enrollments received up to September 30th each year. Enrollment for the new heating season begins October  1st. Customers must re-enroll for the next heating season.

Program Changes

The Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia has approved changes to the low-income program in DC, the Residential Essential Service (RES) program. Enrollments will now be taken all year long, October 1st through September 30th each year. Qualified residents will continue to receive credits for the entire heating season. Customers must still re-enroll in the program each year and be qualified eligible by the District Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). All applications taken October 1st each year will be eligible for RES credits for the upcoming winter heating season. The effective date of the new program will be January 2017.

Additional Resources: Residential Essential Services Program Bill Insert