WE'RE HERE TO HELP.
At NOVEC Energy Solutions, we’re committed to putting our customers first every day. Founded by the member-owned electric utility, NOVEC, we carry forward the heritage of customer service that has made us a top-rated utility nationally for customer service and support.
Take a look at the frequently asked questions below. And if you need further assistance, we’re just a phone call away. We’d love to speak with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Natural gas forms deep beneath the earth’s surface. It’s colorless, odorless, and the cleanest burning fossil fuel today. When it burns, it produces mostly carbon dioxide, water vapor, and small amounts of nitrogen oxide.
Widely used in furnaces, water heaters, cooktops, and ovens, natural gas provides the heat that keeps us warm and cooks our food. It also is used to power clothes dryers, standby electrical generators, outdoor grills and fireplaces and it has many commercial applications.
As with other commodities, natural gas prices reflect supply and demand. In winter, when we use more natural gas to heat our homes, there’s more demand and gas rates go up.
In summer, when our furnaces stand idle, demand is lower and the prices decline.
The natural gas market is split into two main components, commodity cost, and transmission and distribution costs.
- Commodity cost is the cost of the gas itself, either as produced natural gas or as purchased at a market trading hub or under contract to utilities.
- Transmission and distribution costs consist of the costs to transfer natural gas from where it is produced or stored to utilities who then deliver that gas on-demand to consumers.
It is possible! Contact your local utility and confirm that they offer natural gas services and the costs associated with doing so. Then arrange for the gas services to be installed. Your contractor is responsible for acquiring all of the correct permits.
After your order is processed, you will notice painted marks on or near your property. These marks indicate the location of your water, phone, sewer, and electrical lines and the gas main in the street. A crew will arrive to install the service line from the street to your home and set the meter.
Your contractor will install the gas equipment and run the houseline for a pressure test. A green tag will be attached to the meter when it passes the test. The test is required to be passed before the meter can be activated and a final inspection is carried out. Then your meter is activated and you can enjoy the performance and comfort that natural gas provides!
Deregulation allows us to competitively shop the market. Because we do not own an abundance of pipelines or storage facilities, NOVEC Energy Solutions purchases natural gas from providers offering the lowest prices and then routes that gas by purchasing fractional shares of natural gas pipelines to meet the demand created by customers.
With NOVEC Energy Solutions, you can choose the rate plan that’s right for you. We offer winter and yearly-fixed rate plans to lock in low summer prices and save you money on your winter heating bills.
With NOVEC Energy Solutions, you’re also choosing a local company known for its superior customer service, integrity, and reliability. NOVEC Energy Solutions buys and sells natural gas to thousands of customers just like you. We have the expertise to purchase your natural gas supply at very low rates and pass the savings on to you.
The rate you pay for gas from your local utility changes every month. If you are a typical natural gas consumer you use 80% of your gas from December through March. That’s when prices historically are at their highest. Convenient for the gas company; not so convenient for you.
The colder the winter the higher the price climbs. In a normal winter, the rate you pay to your utility can double. However, in difficult winters with prolonged cold temperatures, the nation’s natural gas storage reserves plummet, resulting in shortages that can cause prices to skyrocket as much as 400%-500% in a few short months.
With NOVEC Energy Solutions you can lock in low prices in the winter months, and save big on your winter bills, when you use most of your gas. It’s kind of like an insurance policy against high prices, except you don’t have to pay a premium to get it.
No! Your local utility will continue to meter your gas, send you a bill, and process your payments. You’ll also call your local utility if you have questions about construction or repairs.
What will change is that NOVEC Energy Solutions will be the gas supplier to your utility and the price you pay for that gas will change.
When you pay your gas bill, you’re actually paying for two different services:
Your Gas Service: Your local utility maintains the gas lines in your city and to your home, meters usage, and handles billing. One set of charges on your bill covers the cost of providing service to your home or business.
Buying the Gas Itself: The natural gas that heats your home, powers your water heater, and cooks your food has to be purchased and routed to your home. That’s what we at NOVEC Energy Solutions do for you.
When you choose NOVEC Energy Solutions, we go to work to source your natural gas at the best price possible. Then we pass the savings on to you and those savings show up on the bill you get from your local utility.
