Natural Gas Availability & Installation

• Do I have access to natural gas?

  Efforts to expand our system are market-driven and depend on customer interest and economic feasibility. More interest expressed on a particular street or area increases probability of natural gas expansion to those properties. If you are interested in natural gas, fill out an Expression of Interest form. If we expand to your area, we’ll be in touch.

• How does natural gas get to my home or business?

  Natural gas is delivered to your home or business through a system of underground pipelines. This pipe ends at a gas meter that we will install on the outside of your building. Because natural gas is delivered directly to your property, it is always there, ready for use 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You won’t have to wait for delivery trucks, clutter up your yard, or use valuable basement space for a storage tank. There are no interruptions to service, regardless of weather, and no worries about spills.

• How does natural gas distribute throughout my home or business?

  Natural gas is distributed using materials such as stainless steel, copper, or black iron piping installed in your home or business by a licensed gas technician. New flexible piping and state-of-the-art venting systems mean you have lots of options of where natural gas appliances can be located. There are plenty of ways to enjoy natural gas including space heating systems, water heaters, fireplaces, cooking equipment, clothes dryers, barbecues, fire pits, patio heaters, and more.

• If I am renovating or building a new home, how can I get ready for natural gas?

  If you’re remodelling your home or building a new home, you should consider pre-piping your home to accept natural gas heating systems and appliances. For example, you could install natural gas piping throughout the house with termination points where the furnace, water heater, stove, clothes dryer, fireplace, barbecue, or other appliances would be located in the future. Natural gas shut-off valves can be installed at these termination points to facilitate easy installation of gas equipment when it is available and you are ready to convert.

• How much does it cost to get a service line to my property?

  Eastward Energy will install a service line to most homes for free when you convert a furnace, boiler, hot water heater or fireplace to natural gas.

  A service line will be installed at no cost to a maximum of 20 metres as measured from your property line to your building. Eastward Energy will determine the closest suitable location for installation.

Accounts & Billing

• Do you offer budget billing?

  Eastward Energy currently offers budget billing to residential customers. The Budget Billing Program creates predictability in your monthly bill, as it spreads your total estimated annual bill over 12-months. Budget Billing monthly payments are based on your previous years usage history or estimated usage for new customers. Enrollment occurs in July & August depending on your billing cycle. If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Care Team at 1-877-836-7427.

• Can I see a comparison with my usage from last year?

  Eastward Energy customers can compare historical natural gas usage through the online, self-serve portal, Customer Advantage. If you have additional questions regarding natural gas usage history, please contact our Customer Care Team for more information at       1 (877) 836-7427.

• I pay my natural gas bill by Electronic Funds Transfer. Can I change my payment date?

  Eastward Energy is unable to change your payment date. The payment date is determined by the billing cycle for your geographic area.

• Do you accept bill payments by credit card?

  Eastward Energy customers can make a one-time or reoccurring payments using VISA or Mastercard.  For security purposes, Customer Care Representatives cannot accept credit card payments. Payments are processed by KURBA, a third-party payment provider. When you choose to pay by credit card, KUBRA will apply a 1.95% service fee. This service fee will appear as a separate entry on your credit card statement.  Please note: the service fee is administered by Kubra. Eastward Energy cannot reverse or credit service fees.

  To make a credit card payment visit Customer Advantage. If you have a Customer Advantage profile, log in to Customer Advantage and click “One-Time Payment” under the “Payments” menu.

  If you have not yet registered for a Customer Advantage, visit this link to apply a one-time payment to your account.

• How are late fees calculated?

  A late charge is 1.5% of the unpaid balance after the allowed 21-day term to pay a bill has passed. Please allow 3 – 5 business days for your payment to reach us by mail or online banking to avoid late charges.

• I have recently moved into a new home that uses natural gas. How do I transfer the account to my name?

  Customer Advantage can help.  Click “Start New Service” under the Customer Advantage self-serve portal or contact our Customer Care Team for assistance at 1 (877) 836-7427.

• How do I set up Electronic Funds Transfer on my account?

  Visit Customer Advantage and click “Submit A Form”, then select PreAuthorized Payment Plan or contact our Customer Care Team for assistance at 1 (877) 836-7427. Eastward Energy will send you a confirmation email when the change has been made to your account.

• How is the Municipal tax calculated?

  Municipal Payments are the payments made to a municipality that allows Eastward Energy to install gas distribution facilities in the Right of Way of the Municipality. Municipal Payments are 6.2% and apply only to the Fixed Monthly Customer Charge and the Base Energy Charge on a Eastward Energy bill.

• How can I pay for natural gas?

  Eastward Energy offers a number of options to pay your bill. Most major banks accept payments on behalf of Eastward Energy via internet banking online, telephone banking payment services,  ATM or in-person banking. You can pay your bill directly from your bank account with PreAuthorized Payment (PAP). Visit Customer Advantage and select “Submit a Form” to activate this account feature. Visa and Mastercard payments are accepted using Customer Advantage and processed by KUBRA, a third-party payment provider. When you choose to pay by credit card, KUBRA will apply a 1.95% service fee. Eastward Energy cannot reverse or credit service fees.  Cheques or money orders can be made to Eastward Energy Limited and mailed to Eastward Energy Limited, 144 Thornhill Dr, Dartmouth, NS B3B 1S3.

Natural Gas Rates

• How much does natural gas cost?

  The price for natural gas depends on weather and market conditions and is not regulated by the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board. The total amount on a natural gas bill is price of the natural gas itself, a fixed and variable fee to deliver the natural gas through our pipeline system and other regulated charges, such as the Cost of Carbon and Transportation costs. For more information about the breakdown of rates please visit the rates page for Home or for Business.

• How much does it cost to convert to natural gas?

  Conversion costs are dependent on a number of factors including the types of equipment you are converting, property specifications and building type. Our Account Management team is ready to answer your questions and find the right energy solution for you.

• Do you offer rebates on equipment?

  Visit our Rebates page for more information.

• What are my savings if I convert to natural gas?

  The amount you can save by converting your building to natural gas depends on a variety of factors including equipment, amount of natural gas consumed, previous energy source etc. Our Account Management team is ready to answer your questions and help determine if switching to natural gas is the best option for you. For more information on rates and equivalent natural gas prices, please visit, rates for home and rates for business.

• How much does a service line cost?

  For a home, most service lines are installed from your property line to your house free of charge. The best natural gas meter placement will be determined by Eastward Energy. If the meter placement from your property line to the building exceeds 20m, an additional fee may apply. For more information about natural gas meter placements, please contact our Account Management team.

General Inquiries

• What is a Gigajoule (GJ)?

  Natural gas energy content is typically measured in Gigajoules (GJ), a metric energy measure. The imperial measure is one Million British Thermal Units (MMBtu). A GJ has a heat value of approximately 0.948 MMBtus. One GJ of natural gas has the same amount of energy as 27 litres of fuel oil, 39 litres of propane, 26 litres of gasoline or 277 kilowatt hours of electricity. (source: https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/natural-gas/5641)

• How many BTU’s (British Thermal Units) are in a Gigajoule?

  We measure and sell natural gas in Gigajoules (GJ) which is an energy content measurement while oil and propane is measured and sold in volume only. 1GJ = 26.1L of oil, 1GJ = 39.2L of propane

  Btu’s are also a measure of energy content:

  • 1GJ of natural gas = 947,430 Btu’s = 26.1 litres of oil
  • Burning 1GJ of natural gas is equivalent to 947,430Btu’s, while you need to burn 26.1L of oil for an equivalent 947,430Btu.
  • 1GJ of natural gas = 948,640Btu = 39.2litres
  • Burning 1GJ of natural gas is equivalent to 947,430Btu’s while you need to burn 39.2L of propane for an equivalent 947,430Btu
• Where can I find natural gas contractors who can service my equipment?

  If you are a residential customer, you can find a list of our preferred natural gas contractors here.
  If you are a commercial customer, you can find a list of our preferred natural gas contractors here.

• Where do you get your weather data from?

  Weather information is sourced from Environment Canada and segmented by region within our franchise area.

• Where does our natural gas come from?

  Eastward Energy has a very stable natural gas supply from several sources distributed through the Maritime & Northeast Pipeline. Production from offshore has been declining for some time and as of December 2018, the gas supply has stopped. Eastward Energy anticipated the decline in the offshore supply and has entered into a number of agreements to bring natural gas to Nova Scotia from more stable, low-cost supplies in Central Canada and the US. These agreements will stabilize and lower gas costs, especially during the winter heating season when demand is high.

• How does natural gas get to Nova Scotia?

  Most natural gas is transported by networks of pipelines. Canada is part of a fully integrated natural gas market where natural gas flows across Provincial and International borders. The main transmission pipeline that services Nova Scotia is the Maritime & Northeast Pipeline.

• What is Cap and Trade?

  To help reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions now and in the future, the Canadian federal government announced that all Provinces and Territories must adopt a carbon pricing program, either a cap-and-trade program or a carbon tax. Both are designed to encourage individuals and companies to reduce GHG emissions by setting a price or cost on emissions. Adding a price to carbon means consumers will pay more for electricity and fossil fuels, like oil, propane and natural gas. The cost of carbon will be lower for natural gas than any other fossil fuels – click here to learn more.

• Is natural gas safe?

  Natural gas is a safe and reliable source of energy. It is used by over half the population of Canada. For information on how to use natural gas in a safe manner please visit our safety page.

• Who do I call to get a natural gas pipeline located?

  Please know what’s below if you are digging in an area when natural gas lines are present. Visit ClickBeforeYouDig.com to request a line locate and receive the details within 2 days.