Frequently Asked Questions

To update your bank and/or credit card information, please perform the following steps:

1. Please sign-in to My Account and click "Pay"
2. Select "Payments" from the top menu bar
3. Scroll and select "View Payment Accounts"
4. Select "Edit" for your method of payment (Bank/Credit Card)
5. Edit your payment information accordingly

If you've forgotten your user id or password, go to the login page for My Account. In the My Account login box (on the left) select the "Forgot User Id" or "Forgot Password" link. You'll be asked to enter information to validate you are the account holder.

Once your identity has been verified, an email will be sent to your email address with your requested information.

Reset password emails are sent instantly, if you have not received the reset password email yet, check your spam folder.

To view your bill in My Account, please upgrade to the latest browser version supported by your operating system and adjust your browser settings to allow third-party cookies. Safari users will need to un-check “Block cross-site tracking."

For the fastest way to view and pay your bill, download our mobile app in the App Store or Google Play Store. The links to the app stores are at the bottom of all pages.

When you click a button on our website to "View Bill," a document in Portable Document Format (PDF) is added to your downloads folder of your computer or device. For instructions on how to manage downloads in your browser, it is best to use the help feature. Here are some links that may also be helpful for the most popular browsers: 

• Google Chrome https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95759?hl=en
• Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/where-find-and-manage-downloaded-files-firefox
• Apple Safari Browser (all devices) https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT205751

If you are not receiving your email notification that your bill is ready, please check your spam/junk folder to ensure your email client is not blocking our email notification.  Also, check that your bill preference setting is set for e-bill, not paper bill.

Emails are sent instantly; if you have not received the email with your Username yet, check your spam folder.

Berkshire Gas offers several convenient ways to pay your bill.  Select the payment method most convenient for you.  

Pay Online

By enrolling in My Account, you can view and pay your Berkshire Gas bill online.

Make a "One-Time Payment" Online

You can make a  one-time payment using a credit/debit card or your bank account. 

Mail Your Payment

Please make your check payable to The Berkshire Gas Company and mail to:

The Berkshire Gas Company | P.O. Box 847821 | Boston, MA 02284-7821

Please include your account number on your check or money order and allow sufficient time for your payment to be received and processed by Berkshire Gas.

Payment Agents

We have expanded our network of authorized payment centers for your convenience. Our walk-in locations make paying your bill in person convenient, fast, safe and reliable. Our authorized payment agents are conveniently located throughout our service territory and, you'll save time by using the location closest to home. There is a fee to use these locations.

To setup recurring payments, please perform the following steps:

1. Sign-in to My Account and click "Manage your preferences"
2. Set the switch next to eBill to "On" and follow the enrollment steps
3. Back on the Preferences page, set the switch for AutoPay to “On” 
4. Complete the steps within the enrollment page

Enrolling in My Account allows you to pay your utility bill at no charge using a checking/savings account or credit card. To enroll in My Account, you will need the following information from your bill:

• Account Number
• Service Zip code

Once enrolled, you can add additional accounts to your profile and add banking and/or credit card information. If you choose to pay your bill online, you will stop receiving bills in the mail.  Instead, you will receive an email notifying you when your bill is ready.  You can still view and print your current and past bills from My Account.
 

To change your My Account password log in to My Account and click on the "View personal details" tab.   Updated your password within the Change password column, enter your new password and click the update button.

Please note: Your new password must be at least eight characters, one upper case and one lower case letter, at least one number or one period  ".", underscore "_", or At symbol "@"
 

To update your payment information, please perform the following steps:

1. Please sign-in to My Account and click on the “Manage your preferences link"
2. Select "Edit" next to Auto Payment
3. Select “Edit” next to Payment options
4. Add your new credit card and/or bank account information

If you are planning to dig on your property, notify Dig Safe at least 72 hours (not including holidays) in advance of the scheduled dig date.

Dig Safe is a statewide program designed to help contractors safely locate all underground utility lines before digging. Damage to underground telephone, gas, electrical or cable TV lines is potentially hazardous and disruptive. State law requires that all such underground lines be located and marked before excavation can begin. Excavation near gas lines should be done with hand tools.

Please call DIG SAFE at 811. There is no charge for this service. Visit Digsafe.com for more information.

• Get up and get out of the house
• Don’t strike a match
• Do not unplug or plug in any electrical devices
• Don’t switch lights or appliances on or off 
• Don’t do anything that might create a spark
• Ventilate the area by leaving the door open when you exit
• Call Berkshire Gas at 800.292.5012. ­
  • Don’t use a phone or cell phone from within your home ­
  • Call us from outside or from a neighbor’s phone ­
  • Do not assume someone else will report the condition ­
  • Provide the exact location, including cross streets 
• Let us know if sewer construction or digging activities are going on in the area 
• Use your senses to detect gas leaks. A natural gas leak is usually recognized by smell, sight, or sound.

Smell 

Natural gas is colorless and odorless. For your safety, Mercaptan, a harmless chemical, is added to natural gas to give it a distinctive, pungent odor, similar to rotten eggs, is added so that you’ll recognize it quickly. Not all transmission lines are odorized. Do not ignore the odor of natural gas. Your safety is at stake!

Sight

You may see a white cloud, mist, fog, bubbles in standing water or blowing dust. You may also see vegetation that appears to be dead or dying for no apparent reason.

Sound

You may hear an unusual noise like roaring, hissing, or whistling.

Remember, if you smell natural gas, get up, get out and call us immediately from a neighbor’s phone. Berkshire Gas will respond quickly to ensure that you and your family are safe.

Yes. Most natural gas equipment vent from the roof but some vent from other parts of your home, such as the sidewall.  Periodically check outside your home to make sure your furnace, water heater, dryer, or fireplace vents are not blocked by snow and/or ice.

Snow and ice accumulation may interfere with the operation of natural gas meters and regulators, or may slow access in case of an emergency. Snow removal activities can also pose a hazard to gas meter assemblies or piping, and result in a dangerous leak.

• Snow should not be pushed or piled around meters.
• As well, care should be taken in the operation of snow blowers or plows around natural gas meters to avoid damage.
• Natural gas meters and regulators should be kept clear of snow and ice by using a broom or by hand – not a shovel. 
• Keep air vents clear so your gas appliances can operate at their greatest efficiency. Sidewall vented equipment should be kept free of snow.

Should a natural gas meter become encased in ice, or begin to make an unusual noise, customers should contact Berkshire Gas at 800.292.5012.

Go outside! Then, call 911 or your local fire department. Learn More .

Carbon Monoxide

Natural gas appliances have an excellent safety record, but you should know what carbon monoxide is and how it may affect you. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, tasteless, odorless gas that is created by the incomplete combustion of all fossil fuels.

• Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, fatigue, shortness of breath, nausea and dizziness. Effects can be lethal.
• Carbon monoxide (CO) detector requirements became law in Massachusetts on March 31, 2006. Detectors are required on every level of your home and within 10 feet of each sleeping area. They may be battery-operated, plug-in or hard-wired.
• To find out more, visit Mass.gov.

Ranges and Ovens

Don’t use your range or oven to heat your home. These appliances are designed for cooking. Using them as space heaters can generate unsafe levels of carbon monoxide.

Utility Areas

The utility areas around your gas appliances should be kept clear of clothing, paper, solvents, paint, trash or other Flammable materials that have the potential to ignite if located too close to gas equipment.

• Yes, if you reside within the Western Division service territory for Berkshire Gas.
  
  
• If you reside within the Eastern Division service territory for Berkshire Gas, you may activate the line if you have used the service line since November 1, 2014.
  • If the gas service is eligible for reactivation, the connected gas equipment cannot exceed the load that was previously used at the location.

• If you reside within the Eastern Division service territory for Berkshire Gas, and the service line or a gas meter was shut off prior to November 1, 2014, it cannot be reactivated. ­
  • The natural gas demand for that location has been committed to other customers and is no longer available for use at your location.

No, those are now provided by licensed plumbers and heating contractors. They are typically listed in the yellow pages of your telephone book. Contact a licensed plumbing or heating contractor if you:

• Have no heat
  • If other gas appliances are not working as well then we will send a technician to determine if there is any problem with gas service to the premise.
• Require maintenance or repair of your Natural Gas equipment
• Need Gas Piping installed
• Need Gas Burning Equipment installed

Service requests can be scheduled through our Customer Care Center. Please call us Monday through Friday, between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at 800.292.5012.

Over the last two decades, the demand for natural gas has increased dramatically. However, without new pipeline capacity to deliver additional supplies to our region, demand has out-paced supply. Due to pipeline deliverability constraints, there is currently a moratorium on any new natural gas services in the communities of Amherst, Deerfield, Greenfield, Hadley, Hatfield, Montague, Sunderland and Whately.

The Company cannot guarantee a customer they can open a gas account on the basis there is a gas service line and/or a gas meter at that location. Before buying a property, you should contact Berkshire Gas at 800.297.7144 to find out if the service line can be transferred or whether your request is within the re-activation period.

Plumbers are only required by regulation to notify Berkshire Gas for large capacity load additions. It is the homeowner’s responsibility to notify Berkshire Gas of any intended new equipment.

We currently rent both residential and commercial equipment with 24/7 service coverage. Submit an inquiry using our online Berkshire Gas Company's rental form and we will help you make the best decision for your hot water and heating needs. Our staff will make the arrangements necessary to expedite your new equipment. You could also contact us at 888.237.5427.

Renting a water heater or conversion burner from Berkshire Gas provides the peace of mind our customers expect. For most people, their water heater or home heating system is not often on their mind until the water runs cold or the house is chilled. With a rental water heater or home heating gas burner, there is always someone at the end of the phone to take care of the problem. One affordable monthly payment provides you with: ­

• 24-hour phone support ­
• No repair charges
• Rapid response to shut down leaking heaters or get your home warm again ­
• The highest quality equipment to reduce repair nuisances and promote fuel efficiency

It’s easy! Call Berkshire Gas at 888.237.5427 and we will help you make the best decision for your hot water and heating needs. Our staff will make the arrangements.

No, safe and reliable service is assured for our existing customers. In fact, the moratorium was declared in order to ensure the continuing reliability of service to our existing customers. You may not add to your existing service however during the moratorium.

Yes. With natural gas you benefit from both price and efficiency. Whether for the home or business, natural gas is the most efficient choice. So look beyond which energy source costs more (or less) from year to year and do consider system efficiency.

Natural gas furnaces & boilers are up to 96% efficient. What's more, natural gas boilers maintain high efficiency ratings and offer higher combustion efficiency over time without loss of efficiency due to soot build up inside the boiler as a result of burning oil.

Unlike the electric grid which consists of wires and poles, natural gas is delivered via underground pipeline that generally is not affected by storms such as Sandy. However, most heating systems require electricity to operate fans, pumps and the distribution of heat so you may want to consider a natural gas generator.

Further, there is no need for delivery trucks to get through blocked roads or for you to maintain oil tanks in your home.

With natural gas, there is no need for a storage tank. This allows customers to free-up space in their basements, and for tanks that are underground, costly liabilities can be avoided from tank removal. Most natural gas is produced in North America so there is less dependence on foreign oil.

Even with oil price fluctuations, natural gas continues to be an affordable energy option. Most natural gas used in North America is domestically produced – so it’s not subject to the same swings and spikes seen in world oil markets. Use our easy Energy Calculator  to see just how much you could save by making the switch.

If you are a renter or landlord, you also may qualify to receive upgrades, as well as even greater incentives to replace old and inefficient refrigerators, clothes washers and boilers. In addition, two-to-four family homes may be eligible for an incentive of 90% of the cost of insulation for the entire property, up to $3,000 per unit. Learn more by visiting MassSave.com or calling 800.944.3212.

Berkshire Gas provides many programs and incentives to make its natural gas heating customers’ homes and businesses more energy efficient. If you heat your home with natural gas, we’ll help pay for the installation of approved energy-saving measures to increase your home’s energy efficiency, which in turn can save you money. To receive a no-cost home assessment or to learn more about all of the energy efficiency programs available to you, please call, 800.944.3212 or visit our Smart Energy page.

0% Financing — Berkshire Gas offers innovative energy efficiency solutions through Mass Save to make our natural gas heating customers' homes more energy efficient. Through the Mass Save Residential HEAT Loan Program, residential customers are eligible to apply for 0% loans up to $25,000 with terms up to seven years. The HEAT Loan is available to help with the cost of installing qualified energy efficient improvements in homes or rental properties. To qualify for the loan, you must obtain a Mass Save Home Energy Assessment and install qualified energy efficiency measures recommended by our representative. For more information visit our Smart Energy page, call  800.944.3212 or visit MassSave.com for program details.

Berkshire Gas provides many programs and incentives to make its natural gas heating customers’ homes  more energy efficient. If you heat your home with natural gas, we’ll help pay up to 75% towards the installation of approved energy-saving measures like attic and wall insulation to increase your home’s  energy efficiency, which in turn can save you money. To receive a no-cost home assessment or to learn more about all of the energy efficiency programs available to you, available to you, please call, 800.944.3212, visit our Smart Energy page or MassSave.com.

The Residential New Construction Program provides assistance to Massachusetts residents who are building a new home. The program provides technical assistance and incentives to make a home 15% or more efficient than the efficiency standard of the Massachusetts building code. Please call 800.628.8413 or visit  MassSave.com for more program details.

More than half of the energy used in your home goes to heating, cooling and hot water. So making smart decisions about these systems in your home can have a big effect on your utility bills — and your comfort. We offer several solutions and rebates to help you find and install the high-efficiency energy equipment that is right for you.

It’s easy to reduce your energy use and save money by starting with no-cost and low-cost changes. Getting started is as simple as adopting a few new habits and making time for quick and easy projects around the house.

Find ways to save on energy costs and create an energy profile for your home and/or business with our online bill analysis , where you analyze and graph your energy usage and see what impacts your bill monthly.

Use the Online Home Audit Tool — Create your home energy profile in less than five minutes and get personalized energy saving recommendations, an estimate of potential savings, and cost-effective upgrade advice. Your customized results will also provide you with available incentives that will help you save energy and money. Visit MassSave.com to use the tool.

This can only occur if the location has been in service within the last 4 years.  If the meter or service was locked more than 4 years ago, it will not be eligible for reactivation.

Maybe. If the meter has been inactive for 4 years or more from the date of request, it is ineligible for reactivation. If the service has been on and active within the last 4 years, it will be necessary for Berkshire gas to review the property, how it was previously used and how you intend to use it. For example, a manufacturing facility that mainly used gas for process purposes will have a very different usage profile if it were to be converted to an office building, consuming gas for heat and hot water. Please contact Tom Aldrich at 413.445.0263 to discuss your plans.

The presence of a meter has no bearing on the availability of natural gas at your location. Natural gas availability for your location has been allocated based on your historical usage. Due to the moratorium, no additional volumes of natural gas are available for expanding usage beyond what you are currently using. Adding load without authorization may jeopardize your gas service.

No, the volumes of natural gas used for home heating are typically significantly greater than those for cooking. We will only consider swapping an appliance for another “like” appliance.

The availability of natural gas is based on your having an active meter/service within the last 4 years. If a service has been inactive for more than 5 years, or 10 years if the service is plastic, it will be retired per Massachusetts regulation (220 CMR 107.05).

System evaluations are performed to assess the ability to provide the necessary pressure and volumes at a specific location for a specific load demand. Under the moratorium, no equipment can be added due to pipeline constraints.  Equipment may be replaced with “like” equipment only and may require prior approval.

If new natural gas burning equipment is installed during the moratorium, your natural gas service could be subject to outage or interruption if our distribution system pressures prove to be insufficient to meet the added demand. Unauthorized load increases are found through the automated meter reading system. Installing new equipment without a permit will result in a red tag of the equipment and a notification to the local inspection department. Plumbers or gas fitters performing work without a permit are subject to fines, penalties and sanctions by the Massachusetts Plumbing and Gas Board.

The pipeline serving Franklin and Hampshire Counties is operating at, or near, full capacity. As such, we cannot add any additional demand or usage on our distribution system. The natural gas needed for your current heating purposes has been allocated and is available for your continued use, regardless of the moratorium.

No. A moratorium has been invoked across the board in the Company’s Eastern Division. This means that no additional volumes of natural gas (new or incremental) are available at any location, for any purpose regardless of the need or merits.

No, generators cannot be installed during the moratorium.

Due to severely constrained deliverability in Franklin and Hampshire Counties, we are unable to commit to delivering any volumes of natural gas beyond those currently used by our existing customers. While backup generators may in fact operate during a period of reduced demand, there are any number of circumstances during which they could come online during a period of normal, or even peak demand. That is a risk to our customers that we quite simply cannot take.

Anytime a meter has been off for 1 year or more, it is a requirement that the customer owned piping is pressure tested by a plumber/gasfitter and inspected by the local plumbing and gas inspector.  

Yes, if the service line has been on and active within 4 years of the date that we receive the request for reactivation, it may be reactivated. If the service line or a gas meter was shut off more than 4 years from the date of the request, it cannot be reactivated. The natural gas demand for that location has been committed to other customers and is no longer available for use at your location. If the gas service is eligible for reactivation, the connected gas equipment cannot exceed the load that was previously used at the location. If you have questions about your eligibility for service, connected loads or gas usage, please contact the sales department at 413.445.0254.

No, despite the overall reduction in natural gas used by on demand water heaters, the demand surge of an on-demand water heater at start up is 400% greater than that of a tank type water heater. Such a surge could negatively impact pressures on our distribution system and cause an outage or service interruption.

Yes, this is possible with the required approvals. Your plumber will need to file for a gas permit. Along with that permit, you will need a letter of permission from Berkshire Gas AND your local propane supplier. Please contact the sales department at 413.445.0254 for a dual fuel permission letter from Berkshire Gas.

You cannot assume that you will be guaranteed a gas account just because there is a gas service line and/or a gas meter at that location. Before buying a property, you should contact the sales department at 413.445.0254 to find out if the service line can be transferred or whether your request is within the reactivation period.

No. By necessity a moratorium on new or added natural gas use is an “across the board” moratorium.

Yes, as long as the load (input BTU’s) is the same as, or less than, the current load. Please contact the Berkshire Gas Energy Efficiency Department at 800.944.3212 to discuss your plans, as they may be able to assist you with this and potentially provide some financial incentive for updating your equipment. Due to the moratorium, local plumbing and gas inspectors are not approving natural gas permits without the approval of an authorized Berkshire Gas representative first.

If you did not follow through with the initial request and have since exceeded 4 years that gas has been inactive at the location, it is no longer eligible for reactivation.  Previous requests will not be considered.  

No, safe and reliable service is assured for our existing customers. In fact, the moratorium was declared in order to ensure the continuing reliability of service to our existing customers. You may not add to your existing service however during the moratorium.