I know that they have to repair their infrastructure whether or not you use it in a particular month and provide maintenance. No issue with that. I'm just saying that it should be calculated and charged as a percentage of the price paid for heating fuel.
Base connection fees make sense. Trying to make it dependent as a percentage of heating fuel consumed only makes sense if somehow the connection is also variable. Does your gas line somehow become smaller or less connected as your use declines?
My point is that your connection is constant, and therefore the connection fee is constant. The infrastructure and repair costs are independent of a person's use.
No, my gas line doesn't become smaller as usage declines. Yes, there are fees involved in providing gas to the house. My point is that the infrastructure and repair costs should be higher for higher users. More use means more stress on the system. (Frankly, I'd be surprised if any maintenance had been done on my gas meter or connection since the house was built in 1980.)
My main concern is that charging this way is a tremendous disincentive to save. Even in the winter months, I rarely get a bill for more than 25$ of gas (with 20$ extra tacked on). Why would anyone conserve if there's little noticeable benefit? It's like they're actively trying to promote waste.
It's a fixed cost. If you had them trench through your yard, install a gas line and meter, read it once a month, then NEVER USE IT AT ALL....
Their base cost for you is exactly the same as a next door neighbor that keeps a 20,000 BTU torch burning 24x7. The difference in the billing is the amount saved. You: base cost only. Neighbor: base cost + a metric asston of gas.
It's a basic principle of cost accounting. It's their way of letting you know that you cost them a certain amount no matter how much gas you use.
And... I'll wager that there is a larger fixed cost for a larger gas line/meter. An industrial site, for example, probably pays more than $20 a month, because the fixed cost is higher. If you went by your theory, you'd be paying more per cubic foot of gas to cover the steel mill across town's monster infrastructure.