I'm confused. So there will be an increase in charge in case there is an increase in charge of gas. What happens if there isn't a spike in gas costs, will we get a refund?

This just sounds like an increase instead of an increase. Call it a surcharge but I expect we will still get increased charges anyway.

It's just effectively insurance. We are paying in advance to cap any possible increased price at $2/therm.
No refunds, since we are paying someone else to take on the risk, win or lose.

Why does their every action result in another rate hike??? If we conserve, we didn't use enough so we get a rate hike? If we want to smooth out the peaks to avoid sticker shock we get a rate hike. And so it goes.

But do we get a refund during service outages? During vacations? Hah!

(Even PG&E gives refunds for service outages!)

@Online Name - re: "But do we get a refund during service outages? During vacations? Hah!"

When was the last time you had a gas outage? I'd bet never.

And yes, you don't pay for the gas (or electricity) that you *don't use* when you're on vacation -- assuming you're alert enough to turn down the temperature for your heating and hot water when you are away.

":And yes, you don't pay for the gas (or electricity) that you *don't use* when you're on vacation -- assuming you're alert enough to turn down the temperature for your heating and hot water when you are away."

We were shocked at our bill when we were away for much of a month and looked more closely at how the bill could have been so high when there was no one hope using energy. How could that be? More than 1/3 of your monthly bill has nothing to do with consumption because it's fees and taxes and add-ons to each category. The list of all the creative charges was truly illuminating; I listed them all out that month and there were more than 10 of them plus the straight monthly general fee we pay just for being CPAU customers.

Go check your bill.

@Online
Yes, originally that was just for fixed charges, but both cities and utilities have followed phone companies and airlines in tacking on lots of little "charges" that add up. That, and the stealth PA City annual grab of cash from PA Utilities that STILL hasn't been refunded even though they were going to pay it this past spring.

Not to worry, though. The state got bored after micromanaging local zoning and decreed that most CA utilities will have to start charging according to the ratepayer's income. Apparently city-owned utilities like CPAU are exempt, but the big utilities like PG&E will be starting this soon.