The lights may be on when you tour a home, but that doesn’t mean the electricity account will be in your name when you move in. The previous occupant, landlord, or seller may still be paying for service. Before moving day, you need to arrange who will be responsible for electricity at the new address—and when your responsibility at the old address will end.
The job is usually straightforward: identify the provider, request a start or transfer date, then schedule a stop date for your old home. If you also need to arrange gas service, handle it as a separate task even if one company supplies both. Once billing begins, knowing how to read your natural gas bill and check its charges will help you spot an unexpected balance or service date.
Find out who handles electricity at the new address
Start with your lease, closing paperwork, property manager, or seller. Ask which electric utility serves the property, whether electricity is included in rent, and whether the address has a separate meter. For an apartment, get the exact unit designation.
In much of the United States, the local utility is the company you contact to establish service. In areas with retail electricity choice, you may also select a company that supplies the electricity while the local utility delivers it. The distinction matters: signing a supply contract is not necessarily the same as putting the delivery account in your name. Availability and enrollment rules depend on the address.
If you can choose a supplier, compare the full terms rather than a headline rate. Check how the rate is calculated, whether it can change, the contract length, any monthly fees, and what happens if you move before the contract ends. If you already use a separate supplier, contact it as well as the utility. In Massachusetts, for example, the electric utility handles connection and disconnection, while customers may have separate supply arrangements.
Decide whether to start, transfer, or stop service
The terms on a provider’s website can be confusing because “transfer” often describes an account request, not a promise that every part of your old arrangement will move unchanged.
Start service at the new address if you’re a new customer or the property is outside your existing provider’s service area.
Move or transfer service if your provider serves both addresses and offers a moving option for existing customers.
Stop service at the old address once your responsibility there ends. If you’re changing providers, this is generally a separate request from starting the new account.
An existing customer can often enter both addresses and dates in one request. Con Edison’s moving process, for instance, asks for both addresses and the move-out and move-in dates; customers leaving its service territory must stop service at the old address instead. Check your own provider’s instructions rather than assuming its “transfer” button works the same way.
If electricity is included in your rent, ask the property manager whether you should open an account at all. If the account is in the landlord’s name before your tenancy, confirm when it should change to yours. Having power in the unit is not proof that this has already happened.
Set dates that match when you have access
Work backward from the first time you’ll need electricity at the new home. That may be the day you receive keys rather than the day the moving truck arrives. You might need lights, air conditioning or heat for cleaning, or power for a refrigerator before your furniture comes in.
Keep service at the old place through the period when you still need it for packing, cleaning, or a final walkthrough. If you leave on a Friday but remain responsible for the home through Sunday, don’t request Friday as the stop date without checking your lease or closing agreement. A day or two of overlap between addresses can be sensible; an unplanned week of overlap is simply another bill.
Submit requests once your dates are firm. Processing times vary by provider and property. For example, PG&E permits residential customers to arrange a start date up to 60 days ahead and says same-day start or stop requests work in most cases. That is not a guarantee for other utilities—or for a home that needs additional work before service can begin. PG&E directs customers in some situations, including certain newly built homes, to call rather than use its standard online request.
If you’re moving with little notice, call the provider instead of relying on an online form alone. Ask whether the requested date is available, whether someone needs access to the meter or property, and whether the service is already active. If the dates change, update both requests and save the new confirmations.
Have your details ready before you apply
Gathering the information first makes it easier to catch errors before you submit a request. A provider may ask for:
Your full name and contact information.
The complete new service address, including apartment or unit number.
Your requested start date and, if applicable, your old address and stop date.
Your existing account number if you’re already a customer.
Identification or information needed to verify your identity.
Payment details if a deposit or other charge is required.
Requirements differ. A utility may review your credit or payment history and, under its applicable rules, require a deposit or a letter of guarantee. The Federal Trade Commission’s guidance on getting utility service explains why a new customer or someone with a poor payment history might face that request. If a deposit is quoted, ask when it is due, whether another arrangement is available, and how it will be returned or credited.
Use the provider’s own website or a phone number you’ve verified, particularly when entering identity or payment information. The FTC warns that paid search results can lead to utility impersonators or bill-payment services that charge extra fees. Don’t pay someone who contacts you unexpectedly and demands an immediate transfer, gift card, or cryptocurrency payment to keep power on.
Complete both requests—and keep the confirmations
Once you’ve chosen your dates, submit the start or move request and check that the confirmation shows the correct service address, unit, and date. Then confirm the stop request for your old address. Don’t treat a new-service confirmation as proof that the old account has been closed.
Save emails or confirmation numbers where you can find them during the move. If the provider schedules an appointment or asks for meter access, make sure someone can provide it. For a newly built home, a vacant property, or a place where service has been disconnected, ask what must happen before electricity can be used. Those cases may require more than changing the account holder.
On move-in day, check that power works in the home. If it doesn’t, first find out whether there’s a neighborhood outage or a property-specific issue, then call the serving utility. A supply-company contract won’t fix an outage or a connection problem. Keep the account confirmation handy so you can tell the utility exactly which address and date you requested.
At the old home, take a dated photo of the meter if it is safely accessible, and keep it with your move records. Don’t enter a locked utility area or remove a meter cover to get a reading. A photo can help if a final bill appears to cover usage after you left, though the provider’s billing records will determine how charges are handled.
Check the first and final bills
A move can produce two electricity bills close together: a final bill for the old address and an opening bill for the new one. Check the service addresses, billing periods, account numbers, deposits, and any charges from a separate supplier. A bill arriving after you move does not by itself mean service was left open; it may cover usage before your stop date.
If a charge seems wrong, contact the provider promptly with your confirmation number and dates. Ask which service period the charge covers and whether the requested stop or start date was recorded correctly. If your new home uses much more electricity than expected, finding the biggest sources of home energy waste is a useful next step—but first make sure the bill is for your address and your period of service.
The safest plan is to arrange the new account before you need power, keep the old one active until you’re finished there, and verify both changes on the bills. That small amount of overlap and record-keeping is easier to manage than arriving at an unpowered home or paying for one you’ve already left.