Piedmont urges customers who turned off their service for the summer to call now, before cold weather hits

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  • Wait times for appointments to restart service increase as fall approaches

  • Disconnecting service for the summer costs customers more

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.  

Piedmont Natural Gas

Piedmont Natural Gas is an energy services company whose principal business is the distribution of natural gas to more than 1 million residential, commercial and industrial customers, as well as power plants, in North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Piedmont is routinely recognized by J.D. Power for excellent customer satisfaction, and was named by Cogent Reports in 2017 as one of the most trusted utility brands in the U.S. 

Piedmont Natural Gas is a subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK).

Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company is transforming its customers’ experience, modernizing its energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding its natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves.

A Fortune 125 company, Duke Energy was named to Fortune’s 2018 “World’s Most Admired Companies” list and Forbes’ 2018 “America’s Best Employers” list.

More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy’s illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: Jennifer Sharpe
Office: 704.731.4108 I 24-hour: 877.348.3612
jennifer.sharpe@duke-energy.com