VIDALIA — Utilities customers in Vidalia could face higher rates for utility service this summer.

The possible rise in rates could be caused partly because Entergy is granting very few transmission service requests on its system this year, and partly because of rising fuel costs at the time of the summer peak usage, Louisiana Energy and Power Authority General Manager Cordell Grand said in a statement.

The City of Vidalia is a member of LEPA and buys its utility service from the association.

“We are going to be looking at record costs as far as utilities are concerned,” Mayor Hyram Copeland said. “There are problems throughout the industry and not just in Vidalia.”

The city has not raised rates even though it has seen a significant increase in cost, Copeland said.

“When you’re looking at a 30-40 percent increase in our costs, naturally we want to take a look at it and see what we can do about it,” Copeland said.

As long as the cost of crude oil continues to rise, so will the cost of natural gas, he said.

“The cost of natural gas is currently $13 per cubic foot,” Copeland said. “Three years ago it was $6.”

The city is looking to implement what it can from other sources to keep from increasing costs, and it may have seminars at the Vidalia Conference and Convention Center to train the public in energy saving techniques, Copeland said.

Some energy saving tips are:

4Set your thermostat a little higher. During summer months you could save as much as 4 percent off your total utility bill for each degree the thermostat is raised.

4Do only full loads of clothes and dishwashers, and set the clothes washer to use the cold water setting to reduce its energy use by 75 percent.

4Turn off the lights in rooms that are not in use.

4Use natural lighting whenever possible.

4Make sure electronic devices are turned off at the power source instead of on standby. This could save as much as 50 watts a month.