National Grid NY : Set up electricity & gas, login and outage info

Making "The Move" to New York and need to set up electricity and gas service with National Grid? Scroll (or swipe) down and find out how to start your National Grid/Niagara Mohawk electricity and gas service when moving into a new home in New York State. New service customers can also find National Grid customer service phone numbers, access the National Grid login, see all National Grid bill pay methods available, and connect to the National Grid outage map.

Moving-in : Starting service with National Grid

Whether National Grid delivers your electricity, gas, or both, the process for activating service is the same. National Grid recommends providing about seven (7) days' notice to activate electricity and gas service.

If service is still running from the home's previous tenant, National Grid may just need to make an estimated meter reading, which they can do right from the office. In this case, the electricity/gas is just reassigned names on the same day as the request.

If service has been cut-off (which may happen if the previous occupant moved out some time ago) the meter may need to be switched on in person. This can take up to five business days from the day of your request, depending on the availability of National Grid's staff. Unfortunately, there is no way to speed up this process.

New residents can start up service with National Grid one of two ways:
 Using the National Grid "Start Service" online form to submit a request, or
 Calling National Grid directly: 1-800-642-4272 (M-F, 7am-7pm)

Customers choosing to call National Grid will need to provide the following information to start service:

• Your name and full contact information (phone number, and email address, if you have one)
• Your Social Security Number, or your passport number
• The full address of your new home (unit number, street number, street name, zip code, etc)
• Expected move in date
• Contact details (email, phone number, etc)

Tenants/Renters may need to provide a copy of the rental agreement and/or the landlord's contact information (name, address, phone number, etc).

First-time National Grid customer? Check out our guides to understanding your National Grid bill and the full National Grid's bill pay methods available!

Choose an Energy Service Company : Providers in the National Grid service area

In New York, residents have the power to choose which company provides electricity and gas service.

Many competitive Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) offer wide varieties of energy solutions, including fixed prices, variable rates, and green energy. With the competition, between ESCOs, comes the great deals and superior customer service!

How it works: Delivery and supply

Whether for electricity or natural gas, the price you pay can be broken down into two main charges:

1. the delivery cost ($/month), and
2. the cost of energy supply (¢/kWh)

National Grid is the transmission and distribution utility (TDU) company, meaning that it is responsible for delivering energy to consumers. "Delivery" entails building and maintaining the electrical infrastructure, and transporting energy from the point of production (a power plant for example) to your home. As a regulated utility, National Grid is the only company that can deliver your energy service, but their prices are regulated by the New York Public Service Commission.

While consumers cannot change between TDU companies, switching from the default provider (National Grid) to a preferred ESCO remains an option in New York. New York ESCOs offer a range of energy plans and rates (including green energy options), and are able to promote great deals that may be cheaper than National Grid's default rate.

National Grid Default energy rates : electricity and natural gas

The default rate with National Grid is a variable one that changes every month. You will therefore be buying electricity or gas at the fluctuating market price. For example, if you purchase electricity from National Grid at their default rate, at the end of the month you will receive a bill for electricity with a price of the kWh which is averaged over the entire month.

Sign up with an preferred ESCO provider

The sign-up process with an ESCO is simple, but you must have already started service with National Grid in order to get a National Grid account number. Once you've activated your National Grid account, contact the ESCO provider of choice to start service and have the following information ready:

• Full name and contact information (phone number, email address)
• The service address (and billing address, if different)
• Social Security Number
• Service start date

Find Out MoreHow to switch ESCO providers

​Contact : National Grid customer service numbers

There are several ways to contact National Grid customer service, whether it is by phone, email or online request. Some of the most common reasons to contact National Grid are listed below for a quick reference.

Find more ways to contact National Grid if the above circumstances don't apply.

​National Grid login : Register and access

Many National Grid customer service features are available online, through the National Grid login portal. Access the National Grid login in order to:

• View, update, and manage your account information anytime, anywhere
• Use the online bill pay feature
• View current bill and billing history
• Understand household energy use
• Submit meter readings
• Report a power outage
• Activate power outage alerts and/or payment notifications
• Sign up for paperless billing

​National Grid bill pay methods available

There are a few different ways to make a National Grid bill payment. For convenience, here is a brief summary of how customers can pay a National Grid bill:

Customers can call the National Grid bill pay number 1-800-642-4272 to make a payment over the phone. For customers that want to avoid the pay-by-phone fee, National Grid also accepts bill payments by:

• Pay In Person : at an authorized National Grid pay center (like Duane Reade, Walgreens, and Rite Aid)
• Bank Account (Checking/Savings): online, at your bank (check with your bank first)
• Pay by Card via Speedpay online (note that fees do apply)
• Enroll in automated payments

To pay a National Grid bill through the mail, make the check payable to National Grid and send it in the envelope that came with your bill to the following address (no cash payments accepted):

​Connect to the National Grid outage map

If your electricity goes off, National Grid (Upstate New York) has a few different ways to report a power outage and check the status of an outage.

Considering a move to Texas in the future? A majority of Texas residents live in deregulated electric zones where the competition between +70 electric providers enables the power to choose from electricity plans that offer 100% renewable energy, rate type options, or even annual freezes on summer rates!