No, your utility will not treat you any differently if you choose an alternative supplier for the purchasing of your natural gas. If you have a problem with your service, you will still call your local utility to come repair the problem.
All suppliers have terms and conditions in their contracts. A review of your current contract with your current supplier will need to be done to see when your contract is up. In addition, most contracts have auto renewal language. This means you need to notify your current supplier a certain amount of days prior to the anniversary if you decide to choose a different supplier.
Depending on the supplier, you can have consolidated billing either from the supplier or from your local utility, or have dual invoicing.
Depending on the supplier, payment terms can range from ten days to twenty days in most cases. If you are a governmental body then you would receive thirty to forty give days for payment.
There are penalties if you cancel your contract early with an alternative supplier. When you sign a contract, a position is taken into the market to cover whatever your contract is for and for that contract term. This is important to know when choosing a different supplier to make sure you do not have two contracts for the same period.
There are several different options you can choose from when purchasing your natural gas from an alternative supplier. A program will be developed based on what you are trying to accomplish with the purchasing of your natural gas needs.
Not all utilities have options for their customers for the purchasing of their natural gas. It depends on the state where you are located. If you are located where there is a municipality or a cooperative as the supplier of your natural gas, then you will not have an option of purchasing your natural gas from an alternative supplier.
