Summit Utilities Arkansas Rate Selection Guide
Summit Utilities Arkansas is a natural gas local distribution company serving roughly 220,000 Arkansas customers (acquired from CenterPoint Energy in 2022 and regulated by the APSC). Data access is currently limited to a self-service customer portal with PDF bills and 13 months of monthly usage history; there is no Green Button, EDI, or public API.
Summit Utilities Arkansas Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small Commercial (Sales) | commercial | Customer charge + per-CCF delivery + GSR (per APSC tariff #3932) | Small businesses with modest, mostly heating gas load |
| Large Commercial (Sales) | commercial | Customer charge + declining-block per-CCF delivery + GSR | Larger commercial sites with higher annual therms |
| Large Volume Firm | industrial | Customer charge + tiered per-CCF delivery + GSR | Industrial facilities with large firm gas demand |
| Transportation | industrial | Customer charge + per-CCF transportation charge (no GSR commodity) | Industrials that buy gas from a marketer and use Summit only for delivery |
Market Overview
Summit Utilities Arkansas is a regulated natural gas LDC. The Arkansas Public Service Commission sets rates and tariffs; there is no competitive retail gas supplier choice for distribution customers. Gas costs are passed through via the Gas Supply Rate (GSR) and reconciled through APSC mechanisms.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Summit Utilities Arkansas Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Summit's Arkansas rates were reset in a November 2024 APSC-approved settlement (effective December 2024) following ~$300M of infrastructure investment; the overall increase was reported at about 23%. A typical small-commercial sales customer using 220 CCF/month was estimated to see roughly a $28/month total bill increase. Bills are composed of a flat Customer Charge plus volumetric Delivery/Service charges, the pass-through Gas Supply Rate, and riders (Acquisition Benefit, EECR, System Safety Enhancement, Weather Normalization, city tax). Exact per-CCF figures by class are set in the APSC-filed tariff (Company #3932); confirm current values there.
Effective: December 1, 2024 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small Commercial / Small General Service (Sales) | commercial | Small commercial natural gas sales customers (lower-volume firm sales service). | Flat monthly Customer Charge + volumetric Delivery/Service charge per CCF + Gas Supply Rate (GSR) pass-through + applicable riders. Per the Nov 2024 case, a small-commercial customer using ~220 CCF/month was estimated to see a ~$28/month increase. Per-CCF rates per APSC tariff Co. #3932. | — |
| Large Commercial / Large General Service (Sales) | commercial | Higher-volume commercial firm sales customers above the small-commercial threshold. | Flat monthly Customer Charge + volumetric Delivery/Service charge per CCF (typically declining block for larger volumes) + GSR pass-through + riders. Specific block rates set in APSC tariff Co. #3932. | — |
| Large Volume Firm Service | industrial | Large industrial / institutional firm gas customers with substantial annual volumes. | Customer Charge + volumetric delivery charge per CCF (commonly tiered/declining for high volumes) + GSR pass-through. Rates per APSC tariff Co. #3932. | — |
| Transportation Service (Industrial) | industrial | Industrial customers procuring their own gas supply and paying Summit only for distribution/transportation. | Customer Charge + per-CCF transportation/delivery charge (no GSR commodity, since the customer supplies its own gas) + applicable riders. Terms and rates per APSC tariff Co. #3932. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Multi-site commercial portfolio needing usage data
Manually export monthly PDF bills from the portal for each account and supplement with a custom-reporting request to Summit for a consolidated extract.
No API/Green Button exists, so portal + custom reporting is the only path to portfolio-level data.
- Centralize logins per account
- Ask 800-992-7552 for a periodic data extract
- Verify each site's rate class against its annual volume
Large industrial facility buying its own gas
Evaluate Transportation Service to unbundle commodity from delivery and procure gas competitively.
Removes the GSR commodity pass-through from the Summit bill when the customer supplies its own gas.
- Model marketer pricing vs. utility GSR
- Consult a Commercial Account Manager at 800-992-7552
- Review balancing/nomination terms in the tariff
Cutting commercial gas spend
Use the Commercial & Industrial Solutions Program for a free audit and CCF-reduction incentives.
Bills are volumetric, so reducing CCF directly reduces both delivery and commodity charges.
- Contact CLEAResult (501-221-4005)
- Target boilers, HVAC, and process heat
- Capture rebates of ~$500-$2,400 per measure
Budgeting around winter volatility
Account for the Weather Normalization Adjustment (Nov 1-Apr 30) and seasonal GSR filings when forecasting C&I gas costs.
Commodity (GSR) and weather adjustments drive most month-to-month variability.
- Track seasonal GSR filings
- Build a 12-month CCF baseline
- Set internal alerts for cold-snap usage spikes
Historical Rate Trends
Summit acquired the Arkansas gas distribution system from CenterPoint in January 2022 and migrated to its own billing platform in November 2022. Its first general rate case as owner concluded in November 2024.
November 21, 2024
APSC approved a settlement resetting Summit Arkansas base rates (effective December 2024) after ~$300M of infrastructure investment; reported overall increase of about 23%, with a typical small-commercial customer (~220 CCF/mo) estimated at roughly +$28/month.
+23%October 31, 2024
Winter 2024 cost-of-gas (GSR) filing lowered the winter gas commodity rate for residential customers by 17% versus prior recovery levels.
-17%Overall trend: Rising base delivery rates following heavy infrastructure investment, partially offset by lower winter gas-cost (GSR) filings.
Next expected change: Periodic Gas Supply Rate (GSR) adjustments occur seasonally; the next base-rate change would follow a future APSC general rate case.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because Summit C&I bills are driven by total CCF and the pass-through commodity, savings come from efficiency, supply unbundling, and rate-class verification rather than load shifting.
Evaluate Transportation Service
For: Large Volume Firm / industrial customers with high annual volumes
Large industrial customers who can buy gas from a competitive marketer can take Transportation Service and pay Summit only for delivery, removing the GSR commodity from the Summit bill.
Confirm correct rate class
For: All C&I sales customers
Verify that each site is on the lowest-cost applicable schedule given its annual volume; higher-volume sites may benefit from large-commercial declining blocks.
Commercial & Industrial Solutions Program (CLEAResult)
For: Commercial and industrial customers
Use Summit's free facility energy audit and incentives ($0.70-$0.90 per CCF saved; equipment rebates roughly $500-$2,400) to reduce consumption.
Weather-normalization awareness
For: All C&I customers
Plan winter budgets knowing the Weather Normalization Adjustment (Nov 1-Apr 30) smooths but does not eliminate seasonal cost swings.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Summit Utilities Arkansas interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pull my company's gas usage data into an energy-management platform automatically?▾
No. Summit Utilities Arkansas does not offer Green Button Connect, a public API, or aggregator partnerships. Usage is monthly only (ERT metering) and must be pulled manually from the portal as PDFs or requested as a custom data extract by calling 800-992-7552.
How can a consultant or energy manager access our account data?▾
Have an authorized signer provide a written authorization letter naming the consultant and data scope, then the consultant contacts Summit at 800-992-7552. Energy-efficiency consultants can also access facility usage through the Commercial & Industrial Solutions Program (CLEAResult). The Agency Assist portal is reserved for qualified non-profit/government agencies.
Does Summit provide interval (hourly/daily) gas data for load analysis?▾
No. Summit uses ERT metering that produces one read per meter per month, so only monthly CCF totals are available. There is no 15-minute, hourly, or daily interval data.
What rate should a large industrial gas customer be on, and can we buy our own gas?▾
Large industrial sites should evaluate Large Volume Firm Service or Transportation Service. Under Transportation Service the customer procures gas from a competitive marketer and pays Summit only for delivery, removing the Gas Supply Rate commodity from the Summit bill. Confirm eligibility and per-CCF rates in the APSC tariff (Co. #3932) or with a Commercial Account Manager.
How much did C&I rates change recently?▾
The APSC approved a settlement in November 2024 (effective December 2024) that raised base rates by roughly 23% overall after ~$300M of infrastructure investment; a typical small-commercial customer using about 220 CCF/month was estimated to see roughly a $28/month increase. Winter gas-cost (GSR) rates were separately lowered.
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