York County Natural Gas Authority (YCNGA) Rate Selection Guide
York County Natural Gas Authority (YCNGA) is a public natural gas local distribution company established in 1954, serving roughly 41,000-73,000 gas customers in York County and Blacksburg, South Carolina. Data access centers on the customer portal with 24 months of billing history and monthly therms — no Green Button, EDI, API, or interval data programs exist, so third-party access is handled case-by-case through customer service.
Market Overview
As a public authority established in 1954, YCNGA operates as the local gas distribution company for its territory. There is no retail gas choice program through YCNGA; rates and fees are set by the Authority.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the York County Natural Gas Authority (YCNGA) Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
YCNGA is a public natural gas authority (not PSC rate-regulated like investor-owned LDCs) that sets rates locally with board oversight, keeping them among the lowest in South Carolina. Published rates bundle commodity, interstate transport, and local distribution costs: residential Rate 10 has run about $1.13/therm and Commercial Rate 40 carries a $15.00 base charge plus $1.1798/therm (rates stable since September 2022 — verify current figures at ycnga.com/business/rates-fees). Industrial customers and large loads can access industrial rate schedules and transportation-style service through the Authority's Business Development team, with supply costs managed through the Patriots Energy Group joint purchasing alliance (hedging, capacity release, prepaid gas agreements).
Effective: September 1, 2022 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial Rate (Rate 40) | commercial | All commercial customers serviceable within the Authority's territory (York County and the Blacksburg area of Cherokee County, SC) | Base charge $15.00/month plus energy charge of $1.1798 per therm (bundled commodity + delivery); sales tax applies; commercial deposits based on connected gas load (minimum $150). See ycnga.com for current rates | $1.1798/therm bundled (as published; verify current) |
| Industrial Service Rates | industrial | Industrial customers — all industrial parks in York County have natural gas service; arranged through Business Development at (803) 323-5354 | Industrial rate schedules with volume-appropriate pricing published in the Authority's rates and fees; large loads may negotiate service terms, and supply economics benefit from Patriots Energy Group hedging and prepaid supply agreements. See the Authority for current industrial rates | — |
| Large Volume / Transportation-Style Service | industrial | Very large industrial loads capable of procuring their own gas supply or contracting for firm delivery | Transportation and interruptible service arrangements for qualifying volumes are handled case-by-case through the Authority; municipal authorities commonly offer declining-block delivery charges and standby sales service for transport customers — contact YCNGA Business Development and see tariff for current rates | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Commercial kitchen, retail, or office on Rate 40
Restaurants, retail, and small business gas users across York County on the bundled commercial rate.
Rate 40 is a simple bundled rate ($15 base + ~$1.18/therm), so winter consumption drives the bill almost entirely. YCNGA's locally controlled rates have stayed flat for extended periods, making efficiency the primary cost lever.
- Enroll in Levelized Billing to flatten winter bill spikes into 11 equal payments
- Tune boilers and water heaters before heating season — every therm avoided saves the full bundled rate
- Verify the current per-therm rate at ycnga.com before annual budgeting; the Authority adjusts rates locally, not via PSC dockets
Industrial plant in a York County industrial park
Manufacturers in YCNGA territory, where all industrial parks have gas service and the Authority actively supports expansion.
Industrial schedules price below the bundled commercial rate, and the Authority's Patriots Energy Group membership (hedging, capacity release, prepaid supply deals) keeps supply costs competitive. Large loads should engage Business Development directly — (803) 323-5354 — to match service class to volume and load profile.
- Provide 12 months of usage and peak-day estimates when requesting an industrial rate review
- Ask about firm vs. interruptible service — interruptible delivery is cheaper if you have backup fuel
- Coordinate meter sizing and site plans early; YCNGA sets meters typically within 72 hours once approved
Multi-site energy manager tracking YCNGA accounts
Portfolio managers normalizing YCNGA bills against PSC-regulated LDCs (Dominion Energy SC, Piedmont) elsewhere in the Carolinas.
As a public authority, YCNGA's rates are not in the PSC e-tariff system — they're published on ycnga.com and set by the Authority's board. Bill capture is manual (portal PDFs), so rate validation requires checking the Authority's posted rates rather than state tariff databases.
- Bookmark ycnga.com/business/rates-fees/ as the canonical rate source — not the SC PSC e-tariff system
- Separate base charges from per-therm charges when benchmarking against regulated LDC accounts
- Pull billing history from the my.ycnga.com portal monthly since no API or Green Button exists
Cost Optimization Strategies
As a gas-only public authority with bundled volumetric rates, YCNGA cost optimization centers on consumption efficiency, seasonal bill management, and — for large loads — getting onto the right industrial or interruptible service class. The Authority's Patriots Energy Group supply management already dampens commodity volatility, so customer-side levers dominate.
Industrial rate class review
For: Commercial accounts with industrial-scale consumption
Bundled Commercial Rate 40 (~$1.18/therm) is designed for small business loads. Facilities using significant volumes should request an industrial rate review through Business Development — industrial and large-volume schedules price delivery well below the bundled commercial rate.
Interruptible service with backup fuel
For: Industrial customers with dual-fuel capability
Large loads that can switch to propane or oil during rare curtailment events can take interruptible delivery, which prices below firm service because the Authority avoids buying peak-day capacity for them.
Heating efficiency and heat recovery
For: Heating- and process-load commercial customers
With winter consumption driving most C&I gas bills, condensing boilers, stack economizers, demand-controlled ventilation, and process heat recovery cut therms at the full bundled rate (~$1.18/therm commercial).
Levelized Billing for budget stability
For: All eligible commercial accounts
YCNGA's Levelized Billing averages 12 months of bills into 11 equal payments with a true-up month — eliminating winter cash flow spikes without changing total cost, useful for small businesses with tight monthly budgets.
Peak-day demand management
For: Large industrial and transportation-service customers
Large-volume and transportation-style service typically carries peak-day demand components. Reducing design-day requirements — thermal storage, staggered process scheduling, building setbacks during cold snaps — lowers the demand-based portion of large-customer bills and supports better contract terms.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download York County Natural Gas Authority (YCNGA) interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
What gas usage data can C&I customers get from YCNGA?▾
Monthly consumption in therms, visible on billing statements through the portal at my.ycnga.com/onlineportal, with up to 24 months of history as PDF downloads. There is no AMI deployment, so no hourly or sub-monthly interval data exists — monthly meter reads determine billed consumption.
Does YCNGA support Green Button, EDI, or an API?▾
No. YCNGA isn't in the Green Button Alliance database, offers no ESPI XML export, publishes no EDI specifications or trading partner process, and has no public API or developer portal. As a 29-employee municipal gas authority, its data infrastructure is portal-only.
How does an energy consultant access a YCNGA customer's data?▾
Case-by-case through customer service. Obtain a signed authorization letter from the account holder, then contact (803) 323-5304 or customer.care@ycnga.com with account numbers and the data scope (e.g., 12 months of billing and consumption). Expect manual delivery — emailed statements or consumption reports — with monthly follow-up; no automated authorization exists.
Can aggregators set up bulk data access for a C&I portfolio?▾
Possibly via negotiation. YCNGA's Business Development team at (803) 323-5458 handles commercial/industrial inquiries and may offer batch reporting or custom exports under a data sharing arrangement. Nectar provides API access to YCNGA billing data with customer authorization — see docs.nectarclimate.com; otherwise plan for a manual or batch process.
Where are YCNGA's gas rates published?▾
Rates and fees are posted at ycnga.com/business/rates-fees/, and tariff filings can be checked through South Carolina's PSC e-tariff system at etariff.psc.sc.gov. The Levelized Billing Program normalizes monthly payments using 12 months of historical usage.
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