Community Corner

Last Chance: National Grid Extends Utility Bill Deadline for Qualifying Customers

National Grid customers who qualify now have until April 16 to pay their utility bills.

Hundreds of events are posted on Melrose Patch each week, but how often does one pass you by that you wish you hadn't missed? Each week Melrose Patch will give you a quick reminder about an event, an important sign-up, or a looming deadline you won't want to forget.

National Grid has extended by one month, to April 16, the period during which "protected" customers have a little longer to pay their utility bills without interruption in service. State regulations prohibit electric and natural gas companies from suspending service for non-payment from Nov. 15 through March 15.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities defines protected customers as households with a financial hardship where someone has a serious illness; households with a financial hardship and a child under one year of age; any household with a financial hardship that would be without heat if utility service was shut off; households with a financial hardship in which all adults are 65 years of age or older and a minor child lives in the home; tenants whose landlord is responsible for utilities but does not pay the bills; and households in which everyone is age 65 or older, whether there is a financial hardship or not.

Find out what's happening in Melrosewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Customers who need assistance paying their bills should call 1-800-443-1837 to speak with a National Grid representative about available payment plans.  Customers can also enroll in National Grid’s “Balanced Billing” plan which spreads their total annual utility costs into 12 monthly payments, making it easier on monthly household budgets. To enroll, visit www.nationagridus.com  and click on the “My Account” link.

Do you know of an important upcoming deadline? Share it in the comments below and we’ll consider including it in our next "Last Chance." You can also:

Find out what's happening in Melrosewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Information from a National Grid press release was used in this report.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here