I came to the US in spring 99 to work as a software programmer. Initially I stayed with a friend and later moved into a single room apartment. Now I started looking for the home utilities. The first thing I wanted to have is the gas service. As in my home country we have been familiar with cooking on gas, but in the US the necessity for a gas service arises depending on the place where you live. Usually most of the

American homes are heated using natural gas, especially in metro areas.

Gas service is a more cost efficient method for cooking. You are billed monthly based on the amount of gas usage.

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How I got the gas service:

Which gas company provides services in your area?

My first step was to find out which gas company offers services in my locality. I found out about it through friends. Usually in a municipality there is only one Gas Company for that area.

How I contacted the gas company to get their services?

Usually the, gas company could be contacted by calling directly or accessing them on the Internet.

I was asked for my name and address for providing the gas service. During the time of providing the service the gas company representative has checked my credit rating to determine wether I require to pay any deposit. As I haven't got any credit record in the US I was asked to pay a security deposit. The security deposit was being repaid in one year as the bills were paid regularly. The gas service was turned on within 24 hrs of paying the security deposit.

Billing options:

Usually there are two options for paying the gas service bills.

The first option is to pay the full bill amount each month.

The second option is to pay an estimated amount every month that is based on the yearly average for that property. The difference between the actual cost and the estimated cost is settled at the end of the year.

Gas bills could be paid by means of checks although in some areas credit card or a bank draft are accepted.