Nothing is worse than moving into a new apartment and realizing you forgot to set up your utilities. It can take days to get electricity, gas, water, and other utility services turned on, so it’s critical to plan for this before the movers arrive to load up your boxes and furniture. Here is a guide to setting up basic utilities in New York City:
NYC Electric Service
Thanks to ingenuity of Thomas Edison, in 1883 New York City became first metropolitan area in the world to have a centralized electric distribution system. Now it’s hard to imagine the City That Never Sleeps without the constant glow of electricity.
Looking at NYC now, it’s hard to imagine it before electricity.
Con Edison (All 5 boroughs, except for the Rockaways)
Most of New York City is powered by Con Edison, which provides power to nearly 10 million people in NYC and Westchester County. To serve its NYC customers, Con Edison has more than 94,000 miles of underground cable and 34,000 miles of overhead wires pumping electricity from substations to homes and offices. The power New Yorkers use comes from a variety of energy sources including sustainable sources such as wind and solar power. To easily start or transfer your services with Con Edison, click here.
Public Service Enterprise Group (Queens, Rockaway Peninsula only)
While Con Edison provides power to all 5 boroughs, it does not serve the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. Roughly 34,000 customers in the Rockaways use power distributed by the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG), which also handles electricity distribution on behalf of the Long Island Power Authority. To start, stop, or transfer electric service on the Rockaway Peninsula, visit the PSEG site.
Gas Service New York City
Many New York Residents rely on natural gas for heating and cooking. When it comes to selecting natural gas service, there are two providers in New York City.
Con Edison (Manhattan, the Bronx, Northern Parts of Queens)
In addition to providing electric service to most of New York City, energy giant Con Edison also provides natural gas service to residents of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Northern Queens. If you live in these areas, you’ll have the convenience of using one provider for both your electric and gas service. Set up or transfer existing service using the same link provided above for Con Edison electricity.
National Grid (Brooklyn, Staten Island, Rest of Queens)
National Grid is a multinational electric and gas utility providing services to the UK and parts of the northeastern US. In New York City, National Grid provides gas service to Brooklyn, Staten Island, and most of Queens, including the Rockaways. To start or transfer your natural gas service with National Grid, please go here.
Gas service provides many New Yorkers with heat and energy for cooking.
Water Utility New York
NYC Department of Environmental Protection (All 5 boroughs)
If you are renting an apartment in NYC, most landlords include water as a part of the rent, so be sure to check your lease agreement. However, if you’re a homeowner or otherwise need to set up water services, you may do so by visiting the NYC Department of Environmental Protection customer service page.
Transferring your utility services is just one of many to-dos that come along with transitioning to a new home. If you’re planning a New York City relocation, you can shrink that moving checklist by hiring us to handle all the moving logistics for you. Imperial Moving & Storage offers a wide range of moving services to accommodate all your local and long distance moving needs. Contact us today for a free NYC moving quote!
