Hope Gas, Inc. Rate Selection Guide
Hope Gas, Inc. (d/b/a Hope Gas) is a regulated natural gas local distribution company serving about 125,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers across 35 West Virginia counties. Formerly Dominion Energy West Virginia, it rebranded in January 2024 and operates under West Virginia PSC jurisdiction. Data access is limited: a web-only My Account portal with no Green Button, public API, or formal third-party data program.
Hope Gas, Inc. Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| LCI-D (Distribution) | Industrial/Large C&I | $6,932.07/mo customer + $0.304/Mcf demand + tiered non-gas $0.414–$0.613/Mcf + commodity (firm $4.607 / interruptible $3.317) | Large C&I on shared distribution mains without dedicated facilities |
| LCI-DS (Direct Service) | Industrial/Large C&I | $1,639.29/mo customer + $0.019/Mcf demand + tiered non-gas $0.023–$0.042/Mcf + commodity (firm $4.607 / interruptible $3.317) | Large single-site loads served by dedicated, exclusive facilities |
| LGS | Commercial | Customer charge + volumetric non-gas + purchased gas (see tariff) | Commercial and institutional accounts below LCI thresholds |
Market Overview
Hope Gas is the regulated natural gas distribution monopoly in its certificated West Virginia territory, overseen by the West Virginia Public Service Commission. Customers cannot shop for a competitive gas supplier; rates are established in PSC rate cases. C&I customers select among firm/interruptible and MDV options within the approved LCI tariff.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Hope Gas, Inc. Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Rates below are from the Hope Gas PSC of WV No. 4 tariff, Case No. 25-0417-G-42T, issued February 20, 2026, effective February 25, 2026. Verified dollar figures are shown for the Large Commercial and Industrial (LCI) schedule. Residential and small commercial structures are summarized; consult the complete tariff package for full small-class rates.
Effective: February 25, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LCI-D — Large Commercial & Industrial (Distribution) | industrial | Large commercial and industrial customers not served by dedicated, exclusive facilities. | Customer charge $6,932.07/mo (incl. $4,350.41 base + $2,581.66 PREP); demand charge $0.304/Mcf of monthly billing units; non-gas commodity tiered $0.613 (first 41,357 Mcf) / $0.501 (next 165,429) / $0.414 (over 206,787) per Mcf; gas commodity interruptible $3.317/Mcf, firm $4.607/Mcf; MDV charge $8.114/Mcf. | — |
| LCI-DS — Large Commercial & Industrial (Direct Service) | industrial | LCI customers served by dedicated facilities used directly and exclusively for a single LCI customer. | Customer charge $1,639.29/mo (incl. $1,369.67 base + $269.62 PREP); demand charge $0.019/Mcf; non-gas commodity tiered $0.042 / $0.028 / $0.023 per Mcf; gas commodity interruptible $3.317/Mcf, firm $4.607/Mcf; MDV charge $8.114/Mcf. | — |
| Large General Service (LGS) | commercial | Commercial/service establishments including schools and hospitals not meeting LCI thresholds. | Monthly customer charge plus volumetric non-gas distribution charge and purchased gas (commodity) charge; specific dollar figures in the complete tariff package. Cite tariff for exact LGS rates. | — |
| Natural Gas Supply / Purchased Gas Adjustment | commercial | All sales (non-transportation) customers; recovers the commodity cost of gas. | Purchased Gas Cost component adjusted periodically by PSC; passed through at cost. See Natural Gas Supply tariff sheet. | — |
| Wholesale Service | industrial | Wholesale/resale gas service customers. | Separate wholesale service rate schedule; see wholesale tariff sheet for charges. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Large industrial plant on shared mains
Evaluate whether dedicated facilities are feasible to move from LCI-D to LCI-DS rates.
LCI-DS reduces the monthly customer charge by ~$5,300 and cuts non-gas commodity charges by ~94%, materially lowering all-in gas cost for qualifying single-site loads.
- Confirm facility dedication/exclusivity criteria with Hope Gas engineering
- Model annual savings against any facility contribution cost
- Lock service election before the Contract Year
Facility with alternate-fuel capability
Elect interruptible service to capture the lower commodity rate.
Interruptible commodity at $3.317/Mcf vs firm $4.607/Mcf saves ~28% on gas cost for sites that can tolerate up to seven days of interruption.
- Install daily measurement equipment
- Document seven days of alternate-fuel capability
- Validate process tolerance for full interruption
Energy team needing usage data
Plan for manual data collection since no API or interval data exists.
Hope Gas offers no Green Button, API, or aggregator feed; monthly portal data is the only source, so build reporting around monthly bills and submetering where granularity is required.
- Centralize monthly PDF bills from My Account
- Use written authorization to receive bill copies for portfolios
- Add submetering for sites needing daily/interval data
Multi-site commercial portfolio
Confirm each site's rate class and consolidate authorization for data collection.
Sites below LCI thresholds take LGS; verifying class placement and consolidating written authorizations streamlines monthly data gathering across the portfolio.
- Audit each meter's billing class
- Submit one authorization covering all accounts
- Track purchased-gas adjustment impacts monthly
Historical Rate Trends
Hope Gas filed a base-rate increase in 2025 (Case No. 25-0417-G-42T). The PSC suspended the requested increase into 2026 and issued its order February 10, 2026, with the resulting PSC of WV No. 4 tariff effective February 25, 2026. Earlier PSC actions also approved Hope Gas rate adjustments in late 2024.
February 25, 2026
PSC of WV No. 4 tariff effective; new LCI customer, demand, and non-gas commodity charges per Case No. 25-0417-G-42T.
see tariffNovember 1, 2024
PSC approved a Hope Gas rate increase in late 2024 (alongside Mountaineer Gas).
see PSC orderOverall trend: Rising — successive base-rate cases have increased customer and distribution charges.
Next expected change: Annual LCI Demand Unit Rate recalculation each Contract Year; next base-rate case timing not yet announced.
Cost Optimization Strategies
C&I gas cost at Hope Gas is driven by rate-class qualification, firm vs. interruptible election, and demand/MDV management. Because there is no interval data, optimization relies on tariff structure and monthly billing analysis.
Qualify for LCI-DS Direct Service
For: Large single-site industrial loads
If a single large load can be served by dedicated, exclusive facilities, the LCI-DS rate cuts the monthly customer charge from $6,932.07 to $1,639.29 and non-gas commodity charges from $0.414–$0.613 to $0.023–$0.042 per Mcf.
Elect interruptible commodity service
For: Customers with alternate-fuel capability and interruptible-tolerant processes
Switching firm to interruptible drops the gas commodity charge from $4.607 to $3.317 per Mcf (~28%) for customers able to withstand up to seven days of interruption with documented alternate fuel.
Optimize MDV nomination
For: Firm LCI customers using the MDV option
Right-size the nominated Maximum Daily Volume to actual peak day need; over-nominating inflates the $8.114/Mcf MDV charge while under-nominating risks overrun penalties. Adjust 90 days before the Contract Year.
Avoid the 1% delayed-payment charge
For: All C&I accounts
LCI bills accrue a 1% monthly delayed-payment charge if not paid by the latest payment date; automate payment via My Account.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Hope Gas, Inc. interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my energy consultant pull Hope Gas usage data via API?▾
No. Hope Gas has no public API, Green Button, or Share My Data program. A consultant must work from bills the customer downloads from My Account, or from copies Hope Gas emails after a signed written authorization. Plan for manual data collection in any C&I engagement.
Does Hope Gas provide interval (hourly/15-minute) gas data for load analysis?▾
No. Gas meters are read monthly and no AMI customer-data program exists. For granular profiling, options are limited to submetering with data logging at customer expense or inferring patterns from process/heating data.
What rate applies to a large commercial or industrial gas account?▾
Large commercial and industrial accounts take service under Rate Schedule LCI. Customers served by dedicated, exclusive facilities qualify for the lower LCI-DS (Direct Service) rates; all other LCI customers pay LCI-D (Distribution) rates, which carry higher customer, demand, and non-gas commodity charges.
Can a large C&I customer choose interruptible service to lower gas cost?▾
Yes. Under Schedule LCI, customers can elect interruptible service (lower Interruptible Gas Commodity Charge of $3.317/Mcf vs. firm $4.607/Mcf) if they have daily measurement equipment, can withstand seven consecutive days of full interruption, and can document seven days of alternate-fuel capability if classified as Human Needs.
How does the firm-service MDV option work for C&I accounts?▾
Firm LCI customers can either nominate a Maximum Daily Volume (MDV) and pay an $8.114/Mcf MDV charge plus the interruptible commodity rate, or pay volumetrically at the firm commodity rate with no MDV. The choice affects predictability vs. total cost; MDV elections require 90 days notice before the Contract Year.
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