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As a New Jersey residential customer, you are entitled to the following Rights established by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) with regard to your electric and gas service:

  • You shall not be asked to pay unreasonably high deposits as a condition of service, or to make unreasonable payments on past due bills.
  • You may have the right to budget billing if you are an electric and/or natural gas customer.
  • You are entitled to at least one deferred payment in one year.
  • You have the right to have any complaint against your utility handled promptly by that utility.
  • You have the right to call the Board of Public Utilities to investigate your utility complaints and inquiries. Your service may not be terminated for non-payment of disputed charges during a BPU investigation.
  • If you suspect it is not working properly, you have the right to have your meter tested, free of charge, once a year by your utility. For a $5 fee the meter test will be conducted under the supervision of the staff of the BPU.
  • You have the right to a written notice of termination, ten days prior to the discontinuance of service.
  • Residential service may be shut-off, after proper notice, Monday through Thursday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. A utility may not shut-off residential service on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or a holiday or the day before a holiday or if a valid medical emergency exists in your household.
  • Winter Termination Program – Protects specific categories of customers from having their gas or electric shut off between November 15th and March 15th. For more information please call 1-800-624-0241 or go to http://www.nj.gov/bpu/assistance/rights/.
  • If you live in a multi-family dwelling you have the right to receive posted notice of any impending shutoff.  This notice must be posted in a common area and/or sent individually to occupants.
  • You have the right to have a "diversion of service" investigation if you suspect that the level of consumption reflected in your utility bill is unexplainably high.
  • Service shall not be shut-off for non-payment of repair charges or merchandise charges, nor shall notice threatening such discontinuance be given.
  • You have the option of having a deposit refund applied to your account as a credit or having the deposit refunded by separate check.

 

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