Providing renewable and low-carbon energy
We’re providing renewable and low-carbon energy1 to help the province reach its climate action goals. With recent approval from the British Columbia Utilities Commission (BCUC), all gas customers will have a portion of their gas use automatically designated as Renewable Natural Gas2 (RNG), known as RNG blend.
How does this affect you now?
As of July 1, 2024, all FortisBC gas customers will have one per cent of their gas designated as RNG, known as RNG blend. This adds to FortisBC’s ongoing efforts to reduce overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. As RNG works seamlessly in the existing gas system, homeowners and businesses can continue to receive the benefits that the gas system has to offer without the need for retrofits or upgrades to existing appliances. There is no action required from you.
For the average customer, there will currently be no change to the cost of your monthly bill. The one per cent RNG blend will be incorporated in the storage and transport line item on your bill and you’ll see a carbon tax credit (biomethane credit) for the portion of gas designated as RNG.
If you are already subscribed to RNG before July 1, we will continue to offer the voluntary RNG program so you can choose to designate up to 100 per cent of your gas use as RNG, inclusive of the one per cent blend.
How does this affect you in the future?
The RNG blend will increase over time and you could see a change in your bill in the future. Later this year, the percentage of the RNG blend will be re-evaluated and is expected to increase over time as we work to increase RNG supply.
5 common questions and answers about RNG blend
You probably have questions. Here are answers to some of the most common questions people have about RNG blend.
RNG plays a key role in FortisBC's ongoing efforts to reduce overall greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while leveraging our existing gas system. For more than a decade we’ve worked with farms, landfills, green energy companies and municipalities in B.C. and elsewhere to create RNG to benefit our customers. When RNG is added to North America’s gas system, it mixes with conventional natural gas. While we are unable to direct RNG to a specific customer, the more RNG added to the gas system, the less conventional natural gas is needed, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels and overall GHG emissions.
With the introduction of the RNG blend, all customers can play a role in helping to reduce GHG emissions in B.C. While we will initially designate a small percentage of RNG (one per cent), this will increase over time. Increasing the amount of RNG in our system is an important part of the provincial government’s CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 to decarbonize our economy. The CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 reaffirms that FortisBC’s gas system will continue to play an important role in reducing GHG emissions by transitioning away from delivering conventional natural gas to delivering renewable and low-carbon gases1.
No. To maximize the reduction of GHG emissions, full customer involvement is required.
For July 1, 2024, you will not currently experience any cost impacts; however, this may change over time. The RNG blend percentage will increase over time and you could see a change in your bill in the future.
Yes. We will continue to offer the voluntary RNG program so you can choose to designate up to 100 per cent of your gas use as RNG, inclusive of the one per cent blend. Today, more than 13,000 B.C. homes and businesses are already subscribed to RNG through the current voluntary RNG program.
You can designate five, 10, 25, 50 or 100 per cent of your gas supply as RNG. The difference is that the RNG blend percentage will make up (replace) a portion of the voluntary percentage selected by the customer. For example, a voluntary RNG customer who has opted for 10 per cent RNG will now be designated with nine per cent under the voluntary program plus one per cent from the new RNG blend.
At this time, the average residential customer is not expected to see an impact on their overall monthly bill as a result of the designated RNG blend.
Gas customers receiving propane in Revelstoke will share the cost of the designated RNG blend as part of their storage and transport rate, beginning October 1. Revelstoke customers are currently receiving cost savings through their commodity charges (delivery and cost of gas), as these customers pay the same gas rate as the rest of the province even though they use a higher cost and more carbon-intensive fuel source.
The designated RNG blend will be included in the storage and transport line item on the bill.
As a gas customer in Fort Nelson, you will share the cost the designated RNG blend. It will appear on your bill as part of your storage and transport rate.
What is Renewable Natural Gas?
Did you know RNG is not a fossil fuel? It’s a low-carbon3 energy for homes and businesses—learn more about RNG and how it’s delivered.
Questions? We’re here to help.
If you have questions, call our customer service team at 1-888-224-2710.
1FortisBC uses the term renewable and low-carbon gas to refer collectively to the low-carbon gases or fuels that the utility can acquire under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction (Clean Energy) Regulation, which are: Renewable Natural Gas (also called RNG or biomethane), hydrogen, synthesis gas (from wood waste) and lignin. FortisBC’s renewable and low-carbon gas portfolio currently includes only Renewable Natural Gas. Other gases and fuels may be added to the program over time. Depending on their source, all of these gases have differing levels of lifecycle carbon intensity. However, all of these gases are low carbon when compared to the lifecycle carbon intensity of conventional natural gas. The current burner tip emission factor of RNG is 0.27 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy (gCO2e/MJ) and the current renewable and low-carbon gas portfolio lifecycle emissions for stationary combustion are -22 gCO2e/MJ. This is below B.C.’s low carbon threshold for lifecycle carbon intensity of 30.8 gCO2e/MJ as set out in the 2024 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Regulation amendments.
2 Renewable Natural Gas (also called RNG or biomethane) is produced in a different manner than conventional natural gas. It is derived from biogas, which is produced from decomposing organic waste from landfills, agricultural
waste and wastewater from treatment facilities. The biogas is captured and cleaned to create RNG. When RNG is added to North America’s natural gas system, it mixes with conventional natural gas. This means we’re unable to direct RNG to
a specific customer. But the more RNG is added to the gas system, the less conventional natural gas is needed, thereby reducing the use of fossil fuels and overall greenhouse gas emissions.
3When compared to the lifecycle carbon intensity of conventional natural gas. The burner tip emission factor of FortisBC’s current Renewable Natural Gas (also called RNG or biomethane) portfolio is 0.27 grams of carbon dioxide equivalent per megajoule of energy (gCO2e/MJ). FortisBC’s current RNG portfolio lifecycle emissions for stationary combustion are -22 gCO2e/MJ. This is below B.C.’s low carbon threshold for lifecycle carbon intensity of 30.8 gCO2e/MJ as set out in the 2024 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Regulation amendments.