Piedmont Natural Gas urges seasonal customers in Tennessee to call now to restart service

- Customers can call now to help reduce long wait times when the first cold snap hits

- Keeping service turned on year-round saves money and ensures a warm home when cold weather arrives

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Sep 28, 2017, 13:44 ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Sept. 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Piedmont Natural Gas today issued an important message to the thousands of customers who turned off their natural gas service for the summer because they use natural gas only for heating.

"Customers who turned off their service for the summer but plan on having it turned on again when it gets cold should call us now to avoid any potential delays in service," said LaQuisha Parks, general manager of regional customer care operations for Piedmont Natural Gas.

This is because when the cold weather hits, Piedmont is inundated with calls from customers who want their service turned back on. Parks says Piedmont works hard each year to service each customer quickly, but customers should know they could save money and avoid all inconvenience if they would consider leaving their service turned on year-round.

"Keeping your service on year-round, even if you don't use natural gas during the summer months, is perfectly safe, costs less and ensures you will have heat when the first cold snap of fall arrives," said Parks. "It's just the smart thing to do all around."

That's because customers who disconnect their natural gas service in the spring have to pay a reconnection fee in the fall when they call Piedmont to have their service turned back on.

For example, Piedmont says residential customers in Tennessee who turn their service off in the spring will face a reconnection fee of $85.00 when they call to restart their service in the fall. But the cost for most of these customers to leave their natural gas service turned on during the five months from May to September would be about $67.25 or $13.45 per month. For these customers, leaving their natural gas service on during the summer months will cost about $18 less than if they turn it off for the summer.

Customers can call Piedmont at 800.752.7504 to schedule a service appointment.

About Piedmont Natural Gas
Piedmont Natural Gas, a North Carolina corporation, is an energy services company whose principal business is the distribution of natural gas to more than a million residential, commercial, industrial and power generation customers in portions of North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Piedmont provides a foundation for establishing a broader strategic natural gas infrastructure platform within Duke Energy to supplement and complement the previous natural gas pipeline investments and the natural gas business located in the Midwest.

Duke Energy is a Fortune 125 company traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol DUK. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com.

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Jennifer Sharpe
Piedmont Natural Gas
704.731.4108
[email protected]

SOURCE Duke Energy