Your Service Classification is your tariff.
National Grid does not have one rate for everyone. It has a stack of PSC-approved tariffs, each tied to a Service Classification. Your SC controls three things: the per-kWh delivery rate, the fixed monthly customer charge and the riders attached.
Most homes have one SC for electric and a separate one for gas. National Grid New York covers electric upstate (Buffalo, Syracuse, Albany) and gas downstate (NYC, Long Island). Your address determines which side and which SC.
The four classifications most NY customers will meet.
SC-1
Single-family homes and apartments at standard voltage. The default for almost every NY household. Includes flat-rate, voluntary time-of-use, and a separate net-metered variant for solar.
SC-2
Shops, small offices, places of worship using less than a defined kW peak demand. Different fixed charge and a different per-kWh delivery rate than SC-1.
SC-3 / SC-4
Customers with a measured kW demand charge. Restaurants, manufacturers, larger offices. Bills include a separate demand charge based on the highest 15-minute draw of the month.
SC-5 / SC-6
Street lighting and private outdoor lighting. Specific tariffs, mostly relevant to municipalities and HOAs.
Exact SC numbering can differ slightly between the upstate electric tariff, the NYC gas tariff and the Long Island gas tariff. Always check the SC code on your own bill.
When the wrong SC quietly costs you money.
National Grid does not automatically move you to a cheaper SC when your usage pattern changes. You have to ask. Three common situations:
- You converted oil or gas heating to electric heat pumps. Some SCs offer a winter electric-heat discount;
- You installed rooftop solar. Net-metered SC-1 has its own credit mechanism via VDER;
- You run a small home business and your demand has climbed above the SC-1 threshold. Switching to SC-2 may lower the per-kWh rate enough to offset the higher fixed charge.
Ask National Grid for a free Service Classification review. The conversation takes about ten minutes; the savings can run into hundreds of dollars a year.
Common questions about National Grid service classifications.
Look at the top of your most recent National Grid bill — the SC code is printed near your account number. If you cannot find it, call National Grid customer service at 1-800-642-4272 and ask for your current service classification.
Yes, in some cases. If your usage pattern has changed — for example you converted to electric heating or you installed solar — you may qualify for a different SC. Ask National Grid for a free service-classification review; the wrong SC can cost you several hundred dollars a year.
No. SC is the PSC-approved tariff that sets your delivery rate and fixed customer charge. Your supplier (utility default or an ESCO) is separate.
Commercial customers use power on a different daily pattern (peak vs off-peak) and require different equipment. The PSC sets a separate cost-of-service for each class so each customer type pays roughly its own share of grid costs.
National Grid files every SC tariff with the NY DPS. The full schedule is published at documents.dps.ny.gov — search for the latest National Grid electric or gas tariff.
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