BATON ROUGE - Utility customers told the Public Service Commission they're tired of paying more for the same service they've been getting for years. A hearing was called after complaints from Delta Utilities customers piled up, and the PSC and customers wanted answers.Customers said that after the hearing, their bills rose so high after Delta Utilities took over their natural gas service that they became unaffordable.On Wednesday morning, it was hard to find a seat at the monthly PSC meeting. Patty Merrick said that since Delta Utilities took over gas services from Entergy, her bill has skyrocketed. Her most recent bill was more than $550."Something is terribly wrong with this," Merrick said. "There is no reason you can justify that.Merrick joined other customers attending the PSC meeting, voicing the same complaint.A representative from Delta Utilities appeared to answer the commission's and customers' questions."During the winter months, as usage goes up, generally that corresponds with increases in gas prices, bills have gone up," a representative said.The representative admitted that while bills have gone up, so too have prices for the utility company. For example, he said the price per unit of natural gas has doubled since November.Nancy Noonan says she noticed the price change since the switch from Entergy."It is steadily increasing, I mean quadrupling," Noonan said. "I'm just wondering how long this is going to go on?"Noonan owns a rental property in Spanish Town. Most of the time, she's not there, but the bill at that home has increased. Noonan says she's been conservative with her gas usage, tracking every penny."This last month I made a real effort to turn down the water heater," Noonan said. "There were a few days I ran the heat because of our freezes, but this month it was $189."But Delta said the more people use their heaters, the more bills will go up.The Public Service Commission is expected to conduct an audit on Delta in July, on the one-year mark of the transition, but it's unclear what will lead to bills decreasing for customers.Metro Council member Carolynn Coleman supported the call for an audit and also pressed for a formal investigation into the company.Permalink| Comments ...read more read less