SCE&G natural gas bills to decrease

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Aug. 6, 2007 –  SCE&G is reducing the purchased gas portion of its natural gas rates for August, resulting in an average decrease to residential customer bills of 2.87 percent – or $25.20 annually. SCE&G customers use an average of 472 therms of natural gas per year, with monthly usage higher in the winter and lower in the summer.

Purchased-gas costs account for about 70 percent of a customer’s overall gas bill. The cost of gas purchased by SCE&G through its wholesale providers is passed on to customers without any markup.  The company does not profit from this portion of its rates.

Under a Settlement Agreement facilitated by the South Carolina Office of Regulatory Staff and approved by the South Carolina Public Service Commission, SCE&G began making monthly adjustments to this part of its rates in November 2006 to help diminish the impact on customers of price volatility in the wholesale natural gas market. Adjustments are calculated based on a rolling 12-month forecast of purchased gas costs.

SCE&G is a regulated public utility that provides natural gas service to about 300,000 customers in South Carolina. The company also is engaged in the generation, transmission, distribution and sale of electricity to more than 630,000 customers throughout the state. Information about SCE&G is available on the company’s web site at www.sceg.com.