CLEVELAND, OH — Dominion East Ohio announced that it will be able to fulfill natural gas demand for the upcoming winter season, but company officials are advising customers to expect significantly higher heating bills due to the continuous rise in national fuel market prices.

At the end of Oct. 2000, the company’s gas cost recover (GCR) rate will increase from $6.15/thousand cu ft (MCF) to $7.176/MCF, according to a quarterly adjustment filed with the public utilities commission of Ohio. On average, based on the new GRC, company representatives say customers will pay $70/month more from November through January this year, as compared with last year’s prices.

Edgar M. Roach, Dominion East Ohio ceo, said, “Despite significant national market price increases, our company has continued purchasing and injecting natural gas into our storage fields, as scheduled, to ensure that we’ll have sufficient supplies to serve our customers this winter.”