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Strong winds bring dust into the El Paso area as seen from Scenic Drive on Feb. 17, 2026. Gusts up to 44 mph are expected across the region Tuesday, prompting a fire weather watch for El Paso and Southern New Mexico as dry air and high winds create dangerous fire conditions, according to the National Weather Service.
El Pasoans are getting sticker shock on their new Texas Gas Service bills.
Residential natural gas bills were supposed to go up after the Texas Railroad Commission Feb. 5 approved a rate increase for the company.
The new rates were to increase residential gas bills by 10%-19%, or from just under $4 to just over $11 per month, depending on the size of the home, El Paso city officials have reported.
However, Texas Gas customers in El Paso are reporting on social media increases that, in many cases, are more than doubling, even quadrupling their latest winter bill.
The two culprits responsible for the skyrocketing bills are: a higher natural gas cost in February and a higher gas delivery charge, the result of the newly approved rates.
City officials have heard the bill complaints, they recently reported.
The city, which opposed the rate increase, has asked for a rehearing with the Railroad Commission. And on Monday, March 2, City Council authorized the city attorney to file an appeal of the rate decision in a court, but the court was not specified.
Bills for February gas usage “were higher because several things happened at once: higher winter usage, a temporary increase in the market cost of gas and the timing of the new usage-based delivery charge appearing on bills,” Jason Cleary, a spokesman for One Gas, Texas Gas’ parent company based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, said in an email.
Winter Storm Fern boosts natural gas prices
The market price of natural gas rose briefly in February because of January’s Winter Storm Fern and colder temperatures that affected much of the nation, Cleary said.
“That higher price passes directly to the customer bill and changes month to month based on market conditions,” Cleary said.
More: El Paso Electric rate increase approved; here’s how much more you’ll pay
Natural gas flares at a wellhead in Hobbs, New Mexico in March 2024.
Delivery charge skyrockets
The “recently approved rate case lowered the fixed monthly charge (by about $3 per month) and shifted more costs into a delivery charge that varies based on how much natural gas a customer uses,” and is not tied to the cost of the gas, Cleary said.
The delivery charge is for the cost of operating and maintaining the Texas Gas delivery system, city officials have reported.
The delivery charge increased many times over for many customers posting on Facebook.
One person posted copies of bills on The Real FitFam El Paso Facebook page showing the delivery charge increased from $1.48 on their February bill to $44.23 on their March bill, an increase of $42.75, or up more than 2,800%
An El Paso Times reporter had a similar increase on their customer charge — going from $1.62 to $35.96. an increase of $34.34. or up 2,119%. The amount of gas used increased 3.8%, from 97 Ccf to 100.66 Ccf — an increase of 3.66 Ccf. (A Ccf is 100 cubic feet).
Cleary did not immediately respond to a question about why the delivery charge percentage increase is so much higher than the percentage increase in gas consumption.
“Customers seeking more predictable bills can enroll in the Average Payment Plan, and anyone with questions is encouraged to visit texasgasservice.com/elpasoratecase or contact us (at 800-700-2443) so we can review their bill,” Cleary said.
Vic Kolenc may be reached at 915-546-6421; vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; @vickolenc on X, and @vkolenc.bsky.social on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Pasoans get sticker shock with new Texas Gas Service bills