Hartford Business Journal

the savings will be, so large commercial and indus- trial users will have the biggest benefits, Collins said. All this, though, depends on the price of natural gas remaining significantly cheaper than heating oil, said David Cadden, professor of entrepreneurship & strategy at Quinnipiac University in Hamden. "There's still a growing fear that people should ex- pect prices to rise," Cadden said. Natural gas prices are relatively cheaper right now because the domestic supply of the commodity is very high, thanks to the recently economical technique of fracking, which injects water into shale rock to release the gas trapped inside. As demand rises for natural gas — through programs like Connecticut's conversion and the construction of more natural gas power plants — the price could rise along with it. If domestic producers start exporting to foreign countries, the demand would rise further. "You can't definitively say you'll be saving money," Cadden said. "Each business has to look at its unique energy demand and cost of conversion." New England experienced several natural gas price spikes this winter, as the region has limited pipeline ca- pacity to import the commodity from its deposits in the Midwest and West, an issue that should be resolved by 2017. The price spikes mostly impacted electricity prices, as natural gas power plants couldn't meet demand. Utility customers were fairly insulated from those spikes, Collins said. The utilities plan out their natural gas usage and pricing years in advance, so customers aren't Yankee Gas HeaDquaRTeRS: berlin PaRenT ComPany: northeast utilities of Hartford SeRviCe aRea: 71 communities in the northern, southeastern, and western Connecticut CuRRenT CuSTomeRS: 208,000 PLanneD aDDiTionaL CuSTomeRS by 2023: 82,421 Connecticut Natural Gas HeaDquaRTeRS: east Hartford PaRenT ComPany: uiL Holdings of new Haven SeRviCe aRea: 22 communities in central Connecticut CuRRenT CuSTomeRS: 155,000 PLanneD aDDiTionaL CuSTomeRS by 2023: 197,200 (split with Southern) Southern Connecticut Gas HeaDquaRTeRS: orange PaRenT ComPany: uiL Holdings of new Haven SeRviCe aRea: 22 communities in southern Connecticut CuRRenT CuSTomeRS: 165,000 PLanneD aDDiTionaL CuSTomeRS by 2023: 197,200 (split with CnG) The GenConn Energy power station in Middletown is one of numerous natural gas power plants that have come online within the last five years. PhoTo | hBJ FiLE 26 ConneCTiCuT Green Guide • SprinG 2014 www.CTGreenGuide.com Utilities' Gas Conversion Goals

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