Moving into a new apartment or home in the Tri-State area can be challenging. Between packing up your stuff, finding the right movers, and saying goodbyes, there's a lot to think about. One essential that will guarantee your move goes smoother is to deal with the utilities ahead of time. That’s why we’ve compiled a comprehensive guide to setting up your utilities in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut relatively quickly and with minimal hassle.
Setting Up Utilities: The Basics
The process of setting up your utilities can be tedious but is fairly straightforward. The most important thing to remember is to give enough notice to your landlord(s) and utility companies — that is, a month or so before your moving date. That way you’re more likely to avoid any fees and/or interruptions or delays in service.
- First Step: Stop Service With Your Old Utilities
Find the contact information for your old/current service providers online or on your previous bills. When canceling service, be sure to give the company sufficient notice. And maybe arrange the service stop date for the day after moving out if you want to have light, heat, and running water on the day of your move. And if necessary, provide a forwarding address (i.e., your new home) for that final bill.
- Second step: Start Service
Once you’ve arranged to close/transfer your existing accounts, contact the local utility providers for your new home. You can check with your realtor/landlord what these are, how they generally work, and who you need to contact to make the necessary changes. Most companies require the following information for new customers to start an account:
Your full name and contact information (phone number, email address)
The full-service address (unit number, street name, zip code)
The date that you would like service to start (your move-in date, or a day before to be on the safe side)
Your social security number (some providers also accept driver or non-driver license ID, passport, or alien ID number)
Your mailing address (if it is different from the service address).
Depending on the utility and your credit rating, you may need to pay a security deposit if you are a new customer. For electricity and gas, these are regulated by your state utility board and are usually returned after one year’s good payment history (i.e., consistently paying your bills on time).
- Moving Tip: Stay Organized!
Don’t just keep track of your belongings and your keys, but also make sure you write down the names and numbers (and other relevant info) of all your utility companies, old and new. Have these close by on the day of your move — saved in your phone, for example — so they don’t get lost in the mix, and in case you need assistance for whatever reason.
And now here’s a breakdown of what you need to know regarding utilities for your new home — be it in NYC, New York State, New Jersey, or Connecticut, respectively.
Moving To New York City? Gas, Electricity, Water, Phone in NYC
- Electricity And Gas (NYC)
The main electric service provider in NYC — that is, the one serving Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and The Bronx — is Con Edison (known to most locals simply as ConEd). You can reach them at 1-800-752-6633 (or 1-212-243-1900 outside NYC or Westchester County).
If you’re renting, gas will typically be included in your rent. However, if you need to set up an account in your name, you will need either ConEd or National Grid (1-718-643-4050). While ConEd provides service throughout most of the city, some parts of Brooklyn are covered by National Grid. So check with your landlord or realtor which utility provides service in your area.
You’ll need the basic personal info listed above. You also might want to opt for Direct Payment for your new account (where your bills are automatically deducted from your bank account whenever due). For this, you’ll also need your bank's routing number and your checking or savings account number.
And while either ConEd or National Grid is responsible for delivering energy to your NY home, you do have a choice of who supplies that energy. So once you have a utility account number, shop around for an electricity and/or gas rate from an alternate Energy Services Company (ESCO).
- Water (NYC)
Water is usually included in the rent in New York too, but you may need to set up an account if you own your property. For this, visit the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (or call them at 1-718-595-7000) — they’ll help you out.
- Phone/Internet/Cable (NYC)
These are your three telecommunications options in NYC:
Optimum (formerly CableVision): 1-855-267-8468
Spectrum: 1-833-224-6603
Verizon: 1-800-837-4966
It’s a good idea to see what each has to offer before deciding. And make sure to give them sufficient time — a week before moving in, at the very least — to make all the necessary installation arrangements.
Moving Elsewhere In New York State
- Electricity And Gas (NY State)
As far as the rest of New York, depending on where you’re moving to, your electric and/or gas utility will be one of the following:
Central Hudson: 1-845-452-2700
NYSEG: 1-800-572-1111
National Grid: 1-800-930-5003 for Long Island/ the Rockaways, NY1-800-642-4272 for Upstate New York
PSEG Long Island: 1-800-490-0025
Rochester Gas & Electric: 1-800-342-3377
National Fuel: 1-800-365-3234
In New York State you have a choice of who supplies the energy you consume too (once you have an account number established).
- Water (NY State)
If water is not included in your rent, you have a few options. There are 277 private water companies providing services throughout New York State. So ask around, talk to your landlord, or contact your local municipality to find out how to open an account. And check out the New York State Department of Public Service for a general overview.
- Phone/Internet/Cable (NY State)
There are also dozens of companies that offer phone, internet, and cable services in New York State. The larger ones are:
Optimum: 1-855-267-8468
Spectrum: 1-833-224-6603
Verizon: 1-800-837-4966
Comcast (Xfinity): 1-800-266-2278.
But the overall list is big, so do some research. Then, depending on your new address, find what works best for you accordingly.
Gas, Electricity, Water, Internet in New Jersey
You can visit the New Jersey Board of Public Affairs website for a complete list of all the regulated utilities in New Jersey State. Below are a few of the more popular options.
- Electricity And Gas (NJ)
The four largest electric utilities in NJ are:
PSEG: 1-800-436-7734
Jersey Central Power & Light: 1-800-662-3115
Atlantic City Electric: 1-800-642-3780
Orange Rockland Electric Company: 1-877-434-4100
You can find a map of electric utility service territories here. Note that some parts of New Jersey are served by rural electric coops and/or municipal utilities. You can find out which utility serves your new home in these online directories.
There are four natural gas utilities in New Jersey:
Elizabethtown Gas: 1-800-242-5830
PSEG: 1-800-436-7734
South Jersey Gas: 1-888-766-9900
New Jersey Natural Gas: 1-800-221-0051
You’ll find a map of their service areas here. And, like NYC and New York State, electricity and gas customers in New Jersey have a choice of alternate energy suppliers too.
- Water (NJ)
Water service in NJ depends on your new municipality. There are over a dozen service providers — you’ll find a full list of them on the New Jersey Board of Public Affairs website.
- Phone/Internet/Cable (NJ)
Verizon, Optimum, and Comcast (Xfinity) are also the largest telecommunications providers in New Jersey, covering most of the state. Spectrum covers the counties of Bergen and Hudson.
For the county of Sussex, check Service Electric Cable: 1-800-225-9102 (Hunterdon) or 1-800-992-0132 (Sparta).
Gas, Electricity, Water, Internet in Connecticut
While only roughly 10% of the size of New York State, Connecticut has over 30 electricity providers alone. Thankfully, Connecticut’s Official State Website has a concise listing of all the utilities providing services by town. So if you plan on making the ‘Constitution State’ your new home, it’s worth checking out.
- Electricity And Gas (CT)
Connecticut’s largest electric utility is Eversource: (1-800-286-2000). The Greater New Haven and Bridgeport areas get their electric service from United Illuminating Company (UI): 1-800-722-5584. With both options, you can choose an electric supplier once you have your utility account number.
If you are moving to any of the following municipalities, you will have to contact their utility providers directly:
Bozrah Light & Power: 1-860-889-7388
Groton Utilities: 1-860-446-4000
Norwich Public Utilities: 1- 860-887-2555
South Norwalk Electric Works: 1-203-866-3366
Wallingford DPU: 1-203-294-2020
You, however, do not have a choice of electricity supplier with these.
There are three major natural gas utilities in Connecticut:
Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation: 1-860-524-8361 (Greenwich Area Customers: 1-203-869-6900)
Southern Connecticut Gas Company: 1-800-659-8299
Yankee Gas Services Company: 1-800-989-0900
You can find a map of where they provide service here.
- Water (CT)
The aptly titled Connecticut Water is the largest water utility in the state (1-800-286-5700). But depending on where you live, your water utility may be one of the following:
Aquarion Water Company: 1-800-732-9678 (or 1-203-445-7310 for the Bridgeport area)
Hazardville Water Company: 1-860-749-0779
South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority: 1-203-562-5055
The State of Connecticut also has a list of water utilities by town — you can download it here.
- Phone/Internet/Cable (CT)
In terms of telecommunications and entertainment, Comcast (Xfinity) and Optimum provide service throughout most of Connecticut. In addition, you have the following two companies:
Cox:: 1866-744-0179
Breezeline (formerly MetroCast): 1-844-511-7889.
Most providers offer a variety of bundle offers, so do some math to make sure you get the best deal.
COVID19 INFO
Due to the pandemic, there have been a few changes to utility setup in recent years. For example, at some point several companies did not allow in-home visits; in other cases, new tenants were sometimes responsible for coordinating their own gas hookups. In other words, make sure that you’re up to date. Check your local government’s website to see what restrictions still apply today. If that information is not available online, contact your regional public service commission (or local utility company) to see what their current policies are.
We hope the above info will help you decide which utility companies work best for you. Shop around, talk to your landlord(s) and others in the know, and reach out to local providers. With some due diligence, patience, and a bit of luck, the lights, power, heat, water, internet, and TV in your new Tri-State home should be up and running in no time.
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