A whopping $42,000 natural gas bill for the Harvard schools turned out to be a mistake. At a late June meeting of the School Commmittee, Bob Sullebarger, who is the committee’s liaison to the Harvard Energy Advisory Committee (HEAC), reported that the budget-blowing bill resulted from two separate errors by the energy companies. Metro Media, the gas supplier, wrongly applied a swing commodity fee to the school’s bill. And National Grid, whose lines carry the gas to the schools, misread the meter.
Superintendent Joe Connelly credited Finance Director Lorraine Leonard with spotting the unusually large bill and raising questions about it. David Fay of HEAC helped to pinpoint the likely causes. The two companies have credited Harvard for the overpayment. The credit will probably cover the schools’ heating needs well into next winter, according to Leonard.
