Paul Kirby is reporting for the Daily Freeman Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation customers are about to get hit with higher bills. In a press release, Central Hudson said it is projecting that bills for natural gas service will increase on average about 19 percent; about 46 percent for electric service; and about 29 percent for combined electric and natural gas. “These bill increases are temporary and may vary for individual customers depending on energy usage and their billing cycle,” Central Hudson said. The utility said the main factors for the new prices are the increased supply prices for both electricity and natural gas as the region navigates a colder than average winter and as global energy factors come into play. “Locally, this January featured sustained temperatures that were 11 percent colder than average and 16 percent colder than January 2021,” a Central Hudson representative said. “This contributed to driving gas usage up more than 13 percent and electric usage up nearly 6 percent over January 2021.” Factors contributing to higher prices include increased domestic demand because of colder weather and from economic recovery after the pandemic; constrained capacity; lower electric production; and increased reliance on natural gas following the closure of the Indian Point nuclear plant. The February supply charge for natural gas rose 33 percent as compared to January, while electric supply charges have more than doubled, Central Hudson said. Read the full story in the Daily Freeman.