Frequently Asked Questions

It can be tough to distinguish which parts of your electric service equipment are your responsibility, and which parts are Unitil’s to fix. During a power outage, we’re responsible for repairing the overhead electrical lines that run from the utility pole to your residence and for the electric meter. You’re responsible for repairs to other parts of your electrical system, including:

• Weather head and insulator — the point where electric lines connect to your residence Service entrance cable — runs from the weather head to the meter base and continues to the service panel in your home
• Meter base (box) — your electric meter is mounted to this
• Main service panel — includes the fuse boxes and/or circuit breakers and wires inside your home

When hiring a contractor for post-storm services, we recommend you get several quotes. Once the repairs have been made, please call Customer Service at 1-888-301-7700 so we reconnect your service to our power lines.

Customers are responsible for all equipment inside the building*, beginning at the meter.

This includes the union (where the meter is attached to the line or pipe entering the structure) and all lines after the union, including those within the structure. In some cases, the line from the meter to the structure is buried; however, the customer is also responsible for the maintenance of this line.

Unitil is responsible for all equipment prior to entering the building. This includes the gas service pipe, the regulator and the meter.

Learn more about service equipment responsibilities

*Occasionally, meters are located inside the building instead of outside. In these infrequent cases, company-owned piping enters the building and Unitil is responsible for all equipment up to and including the meter.

Your meter could be one of several models we use in our service areas. Digital and odometer displays are the most straightforward to read because they present your energy usage directly; dial meters can be a little more difficult.

Your meter tells us how much energy your property has used in the previous billing cycle and can help keep you informed of your monthly energy use, too. By comparing your monthly use over time, you can make more informed decisions about your usage and find ways to lower your monthly bill. Unitil’s electric meters are read through our AMI or Automated Metering Infrastructure technology, which allows us to take accurate meter readings without visiting your location.

You can view your usage on your monthly statement or on the "Billed Usage" or "Smart Meter" tab of your MyUnitil portal.

We encourage our electric customers to install renewable energy systems on their property to generate their own renewable energy in parallel with our existing electric infrastructure. While such a project can be a big undertaking, you’ll be helping to offset your electric usage which can lower your monthly utility bill. You’ll also be joining a community of customers that support the development of renewable energy alternatives locally and nationally.

You will need to provide us with the following information to start service at a new location:

• The address of the new location
• Your name
• Your social security number, federal tax identification number or IRS 147C form
• Your date of birth
• Your telephone number at the new location
• Your mobile or business phone number
• The date you are requesting service
• Spouse's name (if applicable)
• Your email address (if applicable)

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Generally, your budget billing monthly payment amount will be reviewed periodically. Adjustments may be needed to prevent you from having a large amount due or credit balance at the end of the program year. If we change your payment amount, we will notify you of the new amount, which will appear on your next bill. Changes to your payment amount are based on several factors such as:

• The price of electricity and/or natural gas changes
• Warmer or colder temperatures mean you will use more or less energy to heat or cool your home
• Your monthly usage has changed compared to the prior usage history that was used for calculating your payment amount

If you or a family member uses electrically operated life support systems, we encourage you to notify us in advance of any outages by submitting our Physician’s Certification Form found here. Once we receive this form, your account will be noted and we will include a notification to you in the event that we anticipate adverse weather or scheduled maintenance which may result in a power outage.

Visit the Unitil Outage Map for up-to-date outage info and estimated restoration times or sign up for Outage Notifications through your MyUnitil account.

Check out our Outages & Emergencies page for information on emergency and storm preparation, storm updates, power restoration, and preparing for extended outages.

We also have dedicated resources and information for municipal contacts in the communities we serve.

You may cancel your budget plan by contacting our Customer Service team at 1-888-301-7700. Upon cancellation from the program, your account will reflect your current charges, in addition to your deferred balance.

Yes! With a MyUnitil account, you can subscribe to receive Outage Notifications. These notifications include three types of alerts: 

1. An alert when there is an outage impacting your service, typically within 15 minutes of the first report, along with a link to check status updates online.
2. Updates on the crew status and current estimated restoration times (ETRs) as they become available. Please keep in mind, ETRs may change as crews assess conditions. Refer to the outage map for the most up-to-date ETR and crew status info.
3. A notification when power is restored. 

After electing to enroll in SMS/text and/or email notifications within the Outage Notification category, you will begin to receive all 3 notification types listed above. If you enroll in Voice Outage Notifications, only the restoration notifications will be sent to the primary phone number on file.

Signing up is easy!

Log in to your MyUnitil account and update your notification preferences to include Outage Notifications.

Click here for step-by-step instructions or give our Customer Service team a call at 1-888-301-7700, and we will set your communication preferences on your behalf to receive an email, text or call when your power has been restored.