Frequently Asked Questions

Depending on your specific location, it may be possible to extend the gas main. For many potential customers, if your home is located less than 100 feet from a natural gas main and you intend to use natural gas to heat your home, installation of a natural gas service line from the street to your home could be free (some restrictions may apply). Call us directly at 1-888-486-4845 — we can help determine if natural gas is available for you.

We anticipate natural gas will be cheaper than oil or propane as a home heating source for many years. Of course, the energy markets are always shifting and we cannot guarantee natural gas will always be less expensive than other sources.

If you’re already using natural gas in your home, it’s likely that you can also use natural gas to heat your home — but it depends on your precise location. The best way to know for sure is to call us: 1-888-486-4845, or fill out our online form.

Natural gas is a safe, affordable, convenient, reliable, versatile and clean-burning source of energy when used correctly in equipment that is properly installed and maintained. View our natural gas safety page for more information.

To switch to natural gas, you don’t need to invest in an entirely new heating system — Unitil offers rental conversion burners and rental water heaters to help make the switch easy and budget-friendly.

Contact us at 1-888-486-4845 to learn more and see if you’re eligible.

Net metering is the process of measuring the difference between the electricity supplied over the electric distribution system (by your utility company) and the electricity generated by an eligible on-site generator and fed back into the distribution system.

Historically, the electric grid has been a series of one-way streets with power flowing from a power plant to your neighborhood, street, and eventually your home. However, the concept of net metering is changing the way poles and wires are used. Homeowners who generate more electricity than they need through home-installed solar, wind, or other systems can push that electricity back out through their meters as a surplus. The “net” in net metering refers to the process where a customer’s overall account bill now reflects both the power being used and the amount of power being generated.

Yes. If an electric generation facility can be connected to the electric system, you need to apply for interconnection. Properly installed emergency generators with a transfer switch do not need to apply.

Unitil does not endorse one company over another, but the Department of Public Utilities (Massachusetts) and the Public Utilities Commission (New Hampshire) do keep records of companies that are licensed to install projects and are good resources to confirm the legitimacy of a business.

With any major energy decision, especially one that involves a long-term contract, it is a good idea to get as much information as possible before making a decision. When entering into a long-term contract, good questions include the length of the contract, whether rates or payments are level or escalate over the duration of the contract, and what protections exist for you, the buyer, as part of the process.

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s office issued a press release in 2016 advising homeowners considering solar panel installations to be informed.

The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission provides net metering information on its website, including a Homeowner’s Guide to Solar Financing.

The length of time for the application process depends on the size and complexity of the generator system.

Most applications for residential systems 15 kW or smaller will receive conditional approval to install the system within 25 working days from the time the application is sent to Unitil.

Applications for commercial or industrial systems require more detailed study and the time to process the application depends on the complexity of the system.

Please note that once installation is approved by Unitil and by the local inspector, Unitil will still need to change your meter to one which measures power flow in both directions before the interconnection is completed. Applications for commercial or industrial systems should contact Unitil directly at 1-888-301-7700.