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Table of Contens

 

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES
If you wish to obtain gas service, please apply to our local office in person, phone or email.

Our service facilities are designed to handle your normal gas energy requirements. Before you add major
gas equipment to your existing load, we suggest you let us know your plans. No service for resale is available
under any company schedule on file with the Commission.

SERVICE CONNECTIONS
There is no charge for making new service connections unless Community's cost of installation exceeds the estimated revenue from
your gas use over a three year period and service line is less than 75 feet.

In cities and towns presently served by the Company, mains, service lines, meters and regulators will be installed by Community to
the nearest available outside wall of the building at which point the meter will be installed.

Rural connections or transmission main line connections to be served, shall be made by the Company consisting of a line tap regulator,
serivce lines, meters and regulators. The Company has a right of inspection at all times.

Service to mobile homes will be provided only under the following conditions:

Mobile homes located in permanent trailer parks wherin gas mains have been installed in utility easements or public thoroughfare.
Before service line is connected to mobile home, said home must be rendered immovable by raising it with adequate supports or
foundation so that non of the wheels touch the ground.
Mobile home, if located on private lot owned by local homeowner and is converted to a permanant home by removing wheels there-
from and locating the home on permanent foundation.
The customer shall give easement necessary to the Company for company's pipes and apparatus across and on the property, owned
or controlled by the customer, necessary to the furnishing of service and shall permit access thereto by the company's employees at
all times for the purpose of reading, inspecting, repairing or replacing meter or meters or other equipment used in connection with
the service and for the removing of same upon discontinuance of service. Service pipes, meters and regulators will at all times remain
subject to the control of the Company and will be kept in repair by the Company at it's own expense, but any alteration necessary,
such as change of location or enlargements of service, must be done at the customer's expense.

CUSTOMER PIPING

Pipes and equipment, at and from the outlet side of the meter, must be installed and maintained by and at the expense of the
customer. Such piping shall be constructed and maintained, subject to the approval of an authorized inspector and in conformity
with any ordinance of governmental authorities. The Company shall be under no duty is willing to inspect the piping and equipment
of the customer, but is willing to assist the customer by advice. The Company may refuse to make connection or to commence or
continue service whenever installation is not in proper condition.

DEPOSITS

The system operator will help fill out applicaiton forms for service. At that time the applicant will be asked to give the names and
addresses of the previous utilities where they obtained their electricity and fuel. These utilities will be contacted by mail to determine
the applicant's record of payment to them. If service is desired before the record can be obtained the applicant will be asked to make
a deposit. If and when a good credit report from the before mentioned utilities is received, the deposit will be refunded. If the applicant
has been a customer of Community Natural Gas in their last location then our records can be checked without delay and applicant
will be told if deposit is required.

A deposit will be required from a present customer who receives disconnect notices for two consecutive months, or any three
months in a preceding twelve month period, or whose service has been disconnected for nonpayment.

The amount of such deposit may not exceed an amount equal to one-third of the expected annual billings for the customer at the
address which service is rendered, (unless the customer has contracted for the budget plan, in which case, the amount of the deposit
shall be no more than the equivalent of two monthly budget bills.) If the amount of the deposit is more than $70.00, a new customer
may make the payment in equal installments for a period of eight weeks. A customer already receiving service may pay a deposit
which exceeds $70.00 over two billing cycles or approximately sixty days. Any customer that has been disconnected for nonpayment
must pay full deposit before service will be reconnected.

At the end of eleven months, if good credit has been established, the deposit will be applied to the customer's bill. Deposits earn
interest when held more than one year. Since December 1, 1976 the interest rate is 6 percent per annum. Deposits returned before
one year has expired do not earn interest.

YOUR BILL

You will be sent a bill for your gas service each month. The bill will be based on the number of THERMS used during a previous
period of approximately thirth days. A THERM is 100,000 BTU. The bill will be sent at about the same time each month and will
be due during the same general period of the month. If your bill does not arrive within a reasonable amount of time, please call our
office and let us know. The bill shall be rendered as a net bill. If the net bill is not paid within seventeen (17) days after the bill is
mailed, it shall become a delinquent bill and a late payment charge will be added in the amount of ten (10) percent of the first three
dollars ($3.00) and three (3) percent of the excess over three dollars ($3.00).

Each bill will contain the following information:

The date of the meter reading at the beginning and the date of the meter reading at the end of ther period for which the bill is being
rendered and the billing date.
The nuber and kind of units of service supplied.
The billing rate code.
Previous balance, if any.
The amount of the bill for gas used.
Sales tax, if applicable.
The amount of the bill including sales tax.
Total charge of the bill including late payment charge.
The date on which the bill becomes delinquent and on which the late payment charge will be added to the bill.
If the bill is estimated, a clear conspicuous coding will identify the same.
If you would like a copy of our rate schedule and terms and conditions of service, we will be glad to furnish them upon request at our
office.

ESTIMATED BILLS

Despite every effort to read your meter each month, sometimes we are unable to do so because of the extreme weather conditions,
emergencies and other circumstances. In order to be able to send you a monthly bill, we will estimate the volume of gas used during
the period based on your previous usage. If your reading is estimated, the bill will be codes EST. If your actual use is higher or lower
than our estimated amount, the difference will be reflected in the first bill rendered after your meter is read.

BUDGET PLAN

Our budget plan, which allows residential customers to level out seasonal variations in their gas bills, is available upon request. The
payment is based on your actual use of gas during the past year or your estimated bill. The annual estimated bill is divided by eleven
(11). You pay this amount each month instead of the actual metered amount. In the twelfth (12) month, if actual gas usage has been
less than estimated, we will apply any overpayment you have paid to future billings, or if actual usage has been larger than estimated,
we will bill you for the underpayment. Actual metered gas will appear on each monthly bill so you may compare it against the estimated
use. Reviews are made periodically and an adjustment may be made in your payment according to your actual use.

YOUR GAS METER

Gas meters are thoroughly tested, inspected and adjusted for accuracy prior to installation. We are further required by the Indiana
Utility Regulatory Commission to periodically test meters in service and supply the test results to the Commission. Meters can only
remain in service if they meet rigid standards for accuracy. Although gas meters are very reliable instruments, you may occasionally
have doubts about it's accuracy. If you belive that your meter is inaccurate, please write to us and we will test it without charge.
After a twelve (12) month period, you may request another test. However, if no error is found, you will be required to pay the full
cost of any subsequent test requested at less than thirty six (36) month intervals.

You may also ask the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission for a meter test. We will conduct this test under the supervision of a
Commission Employee. A five ($5.00) dollar fee payable to the Commission will need to accompany the request for a meter test for a
residential customer. Commercial sized meters require a fee of twenty ($20.00) dollars, and meters larger than 1000 cubic fee per
hour capacity, require a fee of forty ($40.00) dollars.

If the meter is found less than two (2) percent fast, the fee will be retained by the Commission. If the meter tests more than two (2) percent
fast, your fee will be refunded by the utility.

SERVICE DISCONNECTION

  • At your request:
    • If you would like your service shut off, you should notify us at least three (3) working days ahead of time. You are responsible for gas
      use and payment for this use until the service has been shut off. We will disconnect your service within three (3) working days of your
      request and you will not be responsible for any gas used after three (3) working days.
  • Without customer request:
    • We may not disconnect gas service from December 1 through March 15 if customer is receiving or is eligible for S.A.F.E. Program.

    • We may disconnect gas service without request or advance notice under the following conditions:
      • If a condition dangerous or hazardous to life, physical safety, or property exists.
      • Upon order by any court, Commission, or any other duly authorized public authority.
      • If fraudulent or unauthorized use of gas is detected and the Company has reasonable grounds to believe the affected customer is responsible for such tampering.
      • We may disconnect gas service in other instances only by providing proper prior notification.
      • When we are required to give prior notice of service disconnection because of delinquent bill: two (2) ten day postponements can be
        received if separate statements from a doctor or public health offical indicating that disconnection of gas would impose a threat to the
        health or safety of the person in the household.

    • We will not disconnect service under the following conditions:
      • Failure to pay for merchandise or appliances purchased from us.
      • Failure to pay for service at a different location which has remained unpaid for less than forty-five days.
      • Failure to pay for service to a previous occupant of premises served unless we have good reason to believe customer is attempting to
        defraud us by using another name.
      • Failure to pay a bill for a different form or class of gas service.
      • If cause is shown or an inablity to pay the full amount (financial hardship will be considered sufficient cause) and the customer agrees to: (a) pay a reasonable portion of the bill (ten dollars or ten (10) percent, whichever is smaller, unless a larger amount is mutually agreed upon); (b) pay the remainder of the outstanding bill within three (3) months; (c) pay undisputed future bills for the term of the agreement as they become due; and (d) has not breached any similar agreement with us pursuant to this rule within the past twelve months.
      • We may add one late payment charge to the amount owed and the agreement must be in writing and signed by the customer and a representative of our Company. If any part of the payment agreement is broken, gas service will be subject to immediate disconnection without futher notice. A payment agreement will also be made available in case of an inablilty to pay a bill which is unusually large because of previously estimated billing misapplicaiton of Commission rules and regulations, or human error, except the late charge will not be added to the payment agreement.
      • Gas service will not be disconnected for nonpayment of a bill or a violation of any rule or regulation without fourteen (14) days advance written notice. Final notice will state the earliest date of any reason for the proposed disconnection. The notification will also contain our telephone number and a reference to this pamphlet about rights and responsibilities. The notice will not be sent before the account becomes delinquent.
      • Company representatives sent to shut off service will make a reasonable attempt to identify themselves and tell someone at the residence that gas service is being shut off. Our representatives will have enough information to give reason for disconnection and the amount of any delinquent bill and will ask for any available proof that the delinquent bill has been taken care of or is currently in dispute pursuant to Commission review. If proof of either of the above is presented, service will not shut off.
      • If gas is shut off and a customer is not at home, our representative will leave a notice that service has been disconnected, giving that location and telephone number of the office where arrangements can be made to restore service. Without proper notice, we will only disconnect service for nonpayment between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 3:00 P.M. prevailing time. Also we will not disconnect service for nonpayment between after 12:00 Noon of the day immediately preceding any day when our office will be closed.

RECONNECTION

  • If gas service has been disconnected for nonpayment, the following will be required before service will be turned back on:

    • Payment or arrangement to pay all delinquent bills.
    • Any required service deposit.
    • A reconnection charge.
    • We will restore service within one (1) working day after all obligations for the reconnections are made.

COMPLAINTS

You may register a complaint and request a conference about any matter pertaining to your gas service, including a security deposit, disconnect notice or your bill before it becomes delinquent. The complaint may be in person at one of our offices or in writing either by letter of completing a form available from us or from the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission.

We will promptly and thoroughly investigate your complaint, confer with you on request and notify you in writing of our proposed disposition of the matter.

APPEAL PROCESS

Any customer not satisfied with the way that we plan to handle a complaint may make an online complaint to the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission to review the matter. The Commission requires that this request be made within seven (7) days after receiving notice of our plan to handle the complaint, and that a copy of this request be sent to Community Natural Gas Co. Inc.

Service will not be disconnected until at least three (3) days after the Commission has mailed it's written decision, provided the customer continues to pay all undisputed bills prior to their becoming delinquent. The address of the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission is:

Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission
http://www.in.gov/iurc
Phone: (800)851-4268

Please contact us if we can ever be of help in answering questions about your account of your natural gas service.

Customer Rights and Responsibilities