Richardson Residents to Face Natural Gas Rate Increase
Summary:
Residents in Richardson receiving natural gas services from Atmos Energy will see an increase in their rates starting in October 2023.
Key Details:
- The Richardson City Council unanimously approved a negotiated settlement with Atmos Energy on September 28, allowing for increased rates for both residential and commercial customers.
- Atmos filed a request in April to raise systemwide rates to recover costs associated with infrastructure investments made in 2025.
- Residential Rates:
- Average monthly bills will rise from $94.48 to $107.85, marking a 14% increase.
- Commercial Rates:
- Average monthly bills will increase from $452.95 to $497.75, which is an almost 10% increase.
The larger increase for residential customers is due to their significant share in the customer base, necessitating more infrastructure like meters and service lines.
Implementation:
- The new rates came into effect on October 1, 2023.
Background:
Richardson is one of 190 cities part of the Atmos Cities Steering Committee, responsible for reviewing and negotiating Atmos Energy’s rate increases. Initially, Atmos sought a systemwide increase of $398.5 million, but the committee negotiated this down to a total of $356.5 million.
Atmos has invested over $1.8 billion in infrastructure, including $12.5 million in improvements specifically for Richardson in 2025.
