03/29/2024
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Piedmont Natural Gas is urging customers who turned off their natural gas service during the summer months to call now to restart their service and avoid facing a wait time when the first cold snap hits.

Thousands of Piedmont customers turn off their natural gas service for the summer months because they use natural gas only for heating during the winter. Once the weather gets cold, they call to restart their service only to find there is a three to five-day wait time for an appointment.

“Each year Piedmont increases staffing levels to reduce wait times and respond to the increased number of service calls,” said Jared Lawrence, vice president of customer operations for Piedmont Natural Gas. “It is difficult to predict when that first cold snap will hit. While we do our best to make appointments available immediately, some customers could experience extended wait times if they are part of a large wave of households that have waited until the last minute to have their natural gas turned on.”

While the weather is still warm, customers can call and have their service turned on much more quickly than if they wait until fall. Additionally, Piedmont wants customers in North Carolina to know they could save money and avoid all inconvenience if they would consider leaving their service turned on year-round.

“Keeping your service on year-round, even if you don’t use natural gas during the summer months is perfectly safe and you can avoid the reconnection fee of $90.95.” said Lawrence.

Residential customers in North Carolina who turn their service off in the spring will face a reconnection fee of $90.95 when they call to restart their service in the fall. The average cost for these customers to leave their natural gas service turned on during the five months from May to September would be about $53.50, or $10.70 per month. For these customers, leaving their natural gas service on during the summer months could result in a savings of nearly $40.

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