Columbia Gas of Kentucky Rate Selection Guide
Columbia Gas of Kentucky is a NiSource natural gas local distribution utility serving roughly 88,000 customers across 30 Kentucky counties. It is fully regulated by the Kentucky Public Service Commission under tariff PSC Ky. No. 5. Data access is basic — the My Account portal provides PDF bills and monthly usage, with no Green Button, no smart-meter interval data, and a flat-file (not EDI) exchange reserved for gas suppliers and transportation customers.
Columbia Gas of Kentucky Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSO (Commercial/Industrial) | Firm C&I sales | $110.00/mo + $3.1581→$2.1078/Mcf delivery (declining block) + GCA | Most commercial and small/mid industrial firm-sales accounts |
| IS (Interruptible) | Large interruptible | $5,000/mo + tiered delivery + $18.8406/Mcf firm demand | Very large industrial loads able to interrupt |
| IUS (Intrastate Utility) | Intrastate utility | $1,135/mo + $0.9198/Mcf base ($8.8038 total) | Intrastate utility delivery customers |
| DS (Transportation) | Transportation | Distribution-only delivery (customer supplies gas) | Large customers (>25,000 Mcf/yr) procuring their own gas |
Market Overview
Distribution is a regulated monopoly under KPSC tariff PSC Ky. No. 5; delivery rates are set by the Commission and the gas commodity flows through the Gas Cost Adjustment. Qualifying customers may choose their gas supplier through Columbia Choice (<25,000 Mcf/yr) or take Delivery Service transportation (>25,000 Mcf/yr), but Columbia Gas remains the sole distributor.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Columbia Gas of Kentucky Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Rates below are taken verbatim from Columbia Gas of Kentucky's tariff PSC Ky. No. 5 (One Hundred Fifty-First Revised Sheet No. 5), issued December 9, 2025 and effective November 26, 2025 pursuant to KPSC Case No. 2025-00350. Total billing rates shown include the base delivery charge plus the Gas Cost Adjustment (demand + commodity).
Effective: November 26, 2025 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rate Schedule GSO — Commercial or Industrial | commercial | General firm sales service for commercial and industrial customers. | Customer Charge $110.00/billing period. Delivery charge per Mcf (base): first 50 Mcf $3.1581, next 350 Mcf $2.4376, next 600 Mcf $2.3171, over 1,000 Mcf $2.1078. With Gas Cost Adjustment, total billing rate runs $11.0421/Mcf (first block) down to $9.9918/Mcf (over 1,000 Mcf). | — |
| Rate Schedule IS — Interruptible Service | industrial | Large interruptible industrial customers (high-volume firm/interruptible delivery). | Customer Charge $5,000.00/billing period. Base delivery per Mcf: first 30,000 Mcf $0.7509, next 70,000 Mcf $0.4635, over 100,000 Mcf $0.2423 (plus $4.4337 commodity GCA). Firm Service Demand Charge $18.8406 times daily firm volume (Mcf) in the customer service agreement. | — |
| Rate Schedule IUS — Intrastate Utility Service | industrial | Intrastate utility delivery service customers. | Customer Charge $1,135.00/billing period. Delivery charge $0.9198/Mcf base for all volumes; total billing rate $8.8038/Mcf including Gas Cost Adjustment. | — |
| Delivery Service (DS) — Transportation | industrial | Transportation customers (>25,000 Mcf/yr) who buy their own gas; distribution delivery only. Charges per the DS tariff sheets and customer service agreement. | Distribution-only delivery rates per the DS rate schedule (no commodity from Columbia Gas); nominations managed via the Aviator platform. See tariff for DS-specific delivery and demand charges. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Commercial firm-sales account on GSO
GSO's declining-block delivery charge means higher monthly volume lowers your average delivery rate; the commodity passes through via the Gas Cost Adjustment.
For typical commercial firm-sales loads, GSO is the default; understanding the volume blocks helps with budgeting and verifying you're not eligible for a cheaper schedule.
- Track monthly Mcf against the 50 / 400 / 1,000 Mcf delivery blocks
- Watch the Gas Cost Adjustment for commodity-driven swings
- Download PDF bills monthly since there is no bulk export
Large industrial account (>25,000 Mcf/yr)
At high volume, evaluate Interruptible Service (IS) or Delivery Service transportation to buy your own gas — supply procurement is the biggest cost lever absent demand-response options.
Large loads benefit from the lowest delivery blocks and from sourcing competitively priced gas instead of paying the Gas Cost Adjustment; transportation requires Aviator setup and file-exchange testing.
- Model IS firm-demand charge ($18.8406 x daily firm volume) against expected interruptions
- Compare market gas vs. the Gas Cost Adjustment before choosing transportation
- Budget 3-4 weeks for credit evaluation and file-exchange testing
Energy consultant / aggregator onboarding a customer
Plan for manual data collection: no Green Button, no API, and no smart-meter interval data. Use written authorization or shared portal access for monthly bills and usage.
Data is monthly and PDF-only, so set client expectations on granularity and build a recurring manual or portal-based collection workflow.
- Use written authorization to Customer Care (1-800-432-9345) for bill/usage pulls
- Consider independent gas data loggers if interval data is required
- Allow ~5-10 business days for manual data requests
Historical Rate Trends
Columbia Gas of Kentucky's delivery rates are reset through periodic KPSC base-rate cases; the current rates took effect November 26, 2025 under Case No. 2025-00350. The Gas Cost Adjustment is updated regularly to reflect wholesale gas costs.
November 26, 2025
New base delivery rates effective per KPSC Case No. 2025-00350 (tariff PSC Ky. No. 5, 151st Revised Sheet No. 5).
n/aOverall trend: Periodic base-rate increases via KPSC rate cases; commodity portion fluctuates with the monthly/quarterly Gas Cost Adjustment.
Next expected change: Next change expected at the conclusion of a future KPSC base-rate case or at the next scheduled Gas Cost Adjustment filing.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because Columbia Gas of Kentucky lacks smart metering and interval data, optimization for C&I customers centers on rate-schedule selection, gas-supply procurement, and volume-block management rather than demand response.
Procure your own gas (Columbia Choice or Delivery Service)
For: Commercial and industrial customers, especially >25,000 Mcf/yr
Customers under 25,000 Mcf/yr can buy supply through Columbia Choice; those over 25,000 Mcf/yr can take Delivery Service transportation. Separating the commodity from the Gas Cost Adjustment lets customers competitively source gas.
Confirm the optimal rate schedule (GSO vs. IS vs. transportation)
For: Large commercial and industrial accounts
GSO's declining-block delivery charge favors higher volume; very large or interruptible loads may save under IS or DS. Verify the account is on the lowest-cost eligible schedule.
Manage volume blocks and seasonal load
For: GSO commercial/industrial accounts
GSO delivery rates step down at 50, 400, and 1,000 Mcf; understanding where monthly volume falls helps forecast and manage cost, particularly across heating-season peaks.
Install independent interval metering
For: Facilities needing granular gas usage
Since the utility provides no interval data, building-level gas data loggers enable load profiling and efficiency analysis independent of Columbia Gas.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Columbia Gas of Kentucky interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a commercial customer get interval gas data from Columbia Gas of Kentucky?▾
No. Columbia Gas of Kentucky has not deployed AMI or smart meters, so only monthly usage (in Mcf) is available — there is no 15-minute, 30-minute, or hourly interval data and no API. C&I customers who need granular data typically install their own building-level metering or data loggers.
How does a consultant or aggregator access a customer's Columbia Gas data?▾
There is no Green Button or formal third-party authorization portal. The options are (1) shared portal credentials / secondary-contact access, or (2) a written customer authorization submitted to Customer Care (1-800-432-9345 or the Document Upload form), which returns PDF bills/usage by email in roughly 5-10 business days.
Does Columbia Gas of Kentucky support EDI?▾
No. Per the official Columbia Gas suppliers FAQ, the utility uses a proprietary flat-file data exchange rather than ANSI X12 EDI. The EFTP file exchange and Aviator nominations system are available only to gas suppliers (Customer Choice) and transportation customers (Delivery Service), not to standard residential or commercial accounts.
What rate schedule applies to a commercial or industrial gas customer?▾
Most non-residential firm customers take Rate Schedule GSO (General Service — Commercial or Industrial): a $110.00 monthly customer charge plus a declining-block delivery charge starting at $3.1581/Mcf for the first 50 Mcf, plus the Gas Cost Adjustment. Very large customers may qualify for Interruptible Service (IS) or Intrastate Utility Service (IUS), or move to transportation (Delivery Service) and buy their own gas.
Can a large customer buy its own gas supply?▾
Yes. Customers under 25,000 Mcf/year can use the Columbia Choice supplier program; customers over 25,000 Mcf/year can take Delivery Service (transportation) and procure gas independently, with nominations managed through the Aviator platform. Columbia Gas continues to own the distribution system and bill delivery charges in both cases.
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