The cost of piped propane at Whistler could increase by 22 per cent, as soon as Sept. 1. Propane supplier Centra Gas has applied to the BC Utilities Commission for an increase. If the application is approved, the average household will pay $204 more per year for piped propane. Centra says even at that piped propane will still cost 3 per cent less than electricity and 26 per cent less than bottled propane. The cost of buying propane from suppliers has gone up 47 per cent over the last 18 months said Wayne Cankovic, Superintendent of Customer Service, in a release from Centra. The cost of propane is affected by the demand from the petrochemical industry and the expanding export market. It is also affected by the price of natural gas, which has increased in recent months. Fuel costs account for around half of the gas rate Centra charges, according to the release. The other half is fixed costs. The increase is due solely to the cost of fuel, said Cankovic.
