Regulatory Matters	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2013
Regulated Operations [Abstract]
Regulatory Matters	REGULATORY MATTERS Alagasco is subject to regulation by the Alabama Public Service Commission (APSC) which established the Rate Stabilization and Equalization (RSE) rate-setting process in 1983. The Company’s current RSE order had an original term extending through December 31, 2014. At its meeting on November 5, 2013, the APSC voted to make certain RSE modifications effective January 1, 2014, which are described as follows. The term of the order is extended through September 30, 2018. Alagasco’s allowed range of return on average common equity will be 10.5 percent to 10.95 percent with an adjusting point of 10.8 percent. Alagasco is eligible to receive a performance based adjustment of 5 basis points to the return on equity adjusting point, based on meeting certain customer satisfaction criteria. The equity upon which a return will be permitted will be 56.5 percent with Alagasco allowed to budget at the cap. The inflation-based Cost Control Mechanism (CCM) will be adjusted to allow annual increases to operations and maintenance (O&M) expense using the June Consumer Price Index For All Urban Consumers (Index Range) each rate year plus or minus 1.75 percent and from a 2007 base year, adjusted for inflation using the Index Range. Alagasco expects these modifications to be included in a final written order in the fourth quarter of 2013. Alagasco’s current allowed range of return on average common equity is 13.15 percent to 13.65 percent through December 31, 2013. Under RSE, the APSC conducts quarterly reviews to determine whether Alagasco’s return on average common equity at the end of the rate year will be within the allowed range of return. Reductions in rates can be made quarterly to bring the projected return within the allowed range; increases, however, are allowed only once each rate year, effective December 1, and cannot exceed 4 percent of prior-year revenues. During the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2013, Alagasco had a net $4.3 million pre-tax and a net $10.6 million pre-tax, respectively, reduction in revenues to bring the return on average common equity to midpoint within the allowed range of return. Additionally, during the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2013, Alagasco had a $10.9 million reduction in revenues related to the sale of its Metro Operations Center in August 2013. During the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2012, Alagasco had a net $1.3 million and a net $6.3 million pre-tax, respectively, reduction in revenues to bring the return on average common equity to midpoint within the allowed range of return. Under the provisions of RSE, a $7.8 million and a $13.0 million annual increase in revenues became effective December 1, 2012 and 2011, respectively. RSE currently limits the utility’s equity upon which a return is permitted to 55 percent of total capitalization, subject to certain adjustments. Currently, under the inflation-based CCM established by the APSC, if the percentage change in O&M expense on an aggregate basis falls within a range of 0.75 points above or below the percentage change in the September Index Range on a rate year basis, no adjustment is required. If the change in O&M expense on an aggregate basis exceeds the Index Range, three-quarters of the difference is returned to customers. To the extent the change is less than the Index Range, the utility benefits by one-half of the difference through future rate adjustments. The O&M expense base for measurement purposes will be set at the prior year’s actual O&M expense amount unless the Company exceeds the top of the Index Range in two successive years, in which case the base for the following year will be set at the top of the Index Range. Certain items that fluctuate based on situations demonstrated to be beyond Alagasco’s control may be excluded from the CCM calculation. Alagasco’s O&M expense fell within the Index Range for the rate years ended September 30, 2013 and 2012. Alagasco’s rate schedules for natural gas distribution charges contain a Gas Supply Adjustment (GSA) rider, established in 1993, which permits the pass-through to customers of changes in the cost of gas supply. Alagasco’s tariff provides a temperature adjustment mechanism, also included in the GSA, that is designed to moderate the impact of departures from normal temperatures on Alagasco’s earnings. The temperature adjustment applies primarily to residential, small commercial and small industrial customers. Other non-temperature weather related conditions that may affect customer usage are not included in the temperature adjustment. The APSC approved an Enhanced Stability Reserve (ESR) in 1998, which was subsequently modified and expanded in 2010. As currently approved, the ESR provides deferred treatment and recovery for the following: (1) extraordinary O&M expenses related to environmental response costs; (2) extraordinary O&M expenses related to self insurance costs that exceed $1 million per occurrence; (3) extraordinary O&M expenses, other than environmental response costs and self insurance costs, resulting from a single force majeure event or multiple force majeure events greater than $275,000 and $412,500, respectively, during a rate year; and (4) negative individual large commercial and industrial customer budget revenue variances that exceed $350,000 during a rate year. Charges to the ESR are subject to certain limitations which may disallow deferred treatment and which proscribe the timing of recovery. Funding to the ESR is provided as a reduction to the refundable negative salvage balance over its nine year term beginning December 1, 2010. Subsequent to the nine year period and subject to APSC authorization, Alagasco anticipates recovering underfunded ESR balances over a five year amortization period with an annual limitation of $660,000. Amounts in excess of this limitation are deferred for recovery in future years.

REGULATORY MATTERS

Alagasco is subject to regulation by the Alabama Public Service Commission (APSC) which established the Rate Stabilization and Equalization (RSE) rate-setting process in 1983. The Company’s current RSE order had an original term extending through December 31, 2014. At its meeting on November 5, 2013, the APSC voted to make certain RSE modifications effective January 1, 2014, which are described as follows. The term of the order is extended through September 30, 2018. Alagasco’s allowed range of return on average common equity will be 10.5 percent to 10.95 percent with an adjusting point of 10.8 percent. Alagasco is eligible to receive a performance based adjustment of 5 basis points to the return on equity adjusting point, based on meeting certain customer satisfaction criteria. The equity upon which a return will be permitted will be 56.5 percent with Alagasco allowed to budget at the cap. The inflation-based Cost Control Mechanism (CCM) will be adjusted to allow annual increases to operations and maintenance (O&M) expense using the June Consumer Price Index For All Urban Consumers (Index Range) each rate year plus or minus 1.75 percent and from a 2007 base year, adjusted for inflation using the Index Range. Alagasco expects these modifications to be included in a final written order in the fourth quarter of 2013.

Alagasco’s current allowed range of return on average common equity is 13.15 percent to 13.65 percent through December 31, 2013. Under RSE, the APSC conducts quarterly reviews to determine whether Alagasco’s return on average common equity at the end of the rate year will be within the allowed range of return. Reductions in rates can be made quarterly to bring the projected return within the allowed range; increases, however, are allowed only once each rate year, effective December 1, and cannot exceed 4 percent of prior-year revenues. During the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2013, Alagasco had a net $4.3 million pre-tax and a net $10.6 million pre-tax, respectively, reduction in revenues to bring the return on average common equity to midpoint within the allowed range of return. Additionally, during the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2013, Alagasco had a $10.9 million reduction in revenues related to the sale of its Metro Operations Center in August 2013. During the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2012, Alagasco had a net $1.3 million and a net $6.3 million pre-tax, respectively, reduction in revenues to bring the return on average common equity to midpoint within the allowed range of return. Under the provisions of RSE, a $7.8 million and a $13.0 million annual increase in revenues became effective December 1, 2012 and 2011, respectively.

RSE currently limits the utility’s equity upon which a return is permitted to 55 percent of total capitalization, subject to certain adjustments. Currently, under the inflation-based CCM established by the APSC, if the percentage change in O&M expense on an aggregate basis falls within a range of 0.75 points above or below the percentage change in the September Index Range on a rate year basis, no adjustment is required. If the change in O&M expense on an aggregate basis exceeds the Index Range, three-quarters of the difference is returned to customers. To the extent the change is less than the Index Range, the utility benefits by one-half of the difference through future rate adjustments. The O&M expense base for measurement purposes will be set at the prior year’s actual O&M expense amount unless the Company exceeds the top of the Index Range in two successive years, in which case the base for the following year will be set at the top of the Index Range. Certain items that fluctuate based on situations demonstrated to be beyond Alagasco’s control may be excluded from the CCM calculation. Alagasco’s O&M expense fell within the Index Range for the rate years ended September 30, 2013 and 2012.

Alagasco’s rate schedules for natural gas distribution charges contain a Gas Supply Adjustment (GSA) rider, established in 1993, which permits the pass-through to customers of changes in the cost of gas supply. Alagasco’s tariff provides a temperature adjustment mechanism, also included in the GSA, that is designed to moderate the impact of departures from normal temperatures on Alagasco’s earnings. The temperature adjustment applies primarily to residential, small commercial and small industrial customers. Other non-temperature weather related conditions that may affect customer usage are not included in the temperature adjustment.

The APSC approved an Enhanced Stability Reserve (ESR) in 1998, which was subsequently modified and expanded in 2010. As currently approved, the ESR provides deferred treatment and recovery for the following: (1) extraordinary O&M expenses related to environmental response costs; (2) extraordinary O&M expenses related to self insurance costs that exceed $1 million per occurrence; (3) extraordinary O&M expenses, other than environmental response costs and self insurance costs, resulting from a single force majeure event or multiple force majeure events greater than $275,000 and $412,500, respectively, during a rate year; and (4) negative individual large commercial and industrial customer budget revenue variances that exceed $350,000 during a rate year.

Charges to the ESR are subject to certain limitations which may disallow deferred treatment and which proscribe the timing of recovery. Funding to the ESR is provided as a reduction to the refundable negative salvage balance over its nine year term beginning December 1, 2010. Subsequent to the nine year period and subject to APSC authorization, Alagasco anticipates recovering underfunded ESR balances over a five year amortization period with an annual limitation of $660,000. Amounts in excess of this limitation are deferred for recovery in future years.