Convert to Natural Gas

Experience a warmer home, endless hot water, enjoy perfectly prepared meals, take advantage of your new outdoor natural gas kitchen for celebrations with friends, enjoy the warmth and coziness of a natural gas fireplace, and help the planet, while saving money on your utility bills.

It’s a sure fit for business, too. Using natural gas for heat, equipment or power enhances any business’s bottom line. The cost of natural gas has never been more affordable, the performance and efficiency of natural gas is unsurpassed and it reduces your business’s carbon footprint. Using natural gas is the smart choice.

Nationally, natural gas serves more than 66.7 million homes; 5.4 million businesses like hotels, restaurants, hospitals, schools, and supermarkets; and 192,000 factories. Richmonders have been relying on natural gas since 1851 and reliance on natural gas ensures a cleaner, healthier environment for our future generations.

If your home or business doesn’t already have natural gas, the first step is to check for gas availability.

• Inquire online
• Call Development Services at (804) 646-8544 (M-F 7:30 am – 4:30 pm excluding holidays)

Step 1. Check for gas availability

Richmond Gas Works serves the City of Richmond, Henrico County, and portions of northern Chesterfield County. However, unlike water lines or sewer lines, gas infrastructure wasn’t always installed on every street. That’s why it’s important to first check to see if gas is already in the ground or if construction is required to extend service to you.

• Call Development Services at (804) 646-8544 (M-F 7:30 am – 4:30 pm excluding holidays)
• Inquire online to determine if gas is available at or near your location

Step 2. Select Appliances

• Check with a heating or plumbing contractor, architect or engineer to get appliance, gas pressure and cost information on installing natural gas equipment for your home or business
• Keep in mind that there may be a required contribution in costs for the underground gas lines to serve your home or business. We’ll be able to provide those costs after we have specific information on your site and the equipment you’ll be using
• Decide on the appliances, the number of them you’ll need, the BTU loads, and the pressure required to operate the appliances
• Appliances included on the application must be installed and operating within six (6) months of installation of the service line

Step 3. Submit application and required attachments

This information is essential for us to accurately size the new service and meter, determine pressure requirements and calculate any required contribution in costs.”

• For all business, subdivision and multi-family applications, a marketing specialist, with the Energy Services division, will work with you during the application intake, cost determination and approval process
• For residential applications
  • If you’re using natural gas for your primary/whole house heating source and a main extension isn’t needed, our Development Services division will assist you during the application intake, fee determination and account initialization process
  • If you’re notusing natural gas for your primary/whole house heating source or if a main extension is required , a marketing specialist, with the Energy Services division, will work with you during the application intake, cost determination and approval process

  - Information you need

  
  Don’t send in your application with incomplete or inaccurate information. This will delay our ability to process your application

  If you have a preferred meter location, include that information with your application. However for safety reasons, our meter inspector will determine the location of meters to ensure all regulatory requirements and guidelines are met

  A licensed contractor to install the equipment and interior gas lines may be required by the Building Permits office for the locality in which your site is located. If a contractor is being used, please include the contractor information on your application

  - Information we need

  • Include all required information and attachments. Without all the information and these documents your application will be considered incomplete and we won’t be able to process it
  • Please keep in mind that other information and documents may be required during the application review process

  Scroll right for more info ➜

  Type of service

  Residential – Existing house

  Residential – New construction – single lot only

  Residential – New Subdivision

  Multi-family & Mixed Use

  Business – Existing structure

  Business – New Construction

  Application	Subdivision New Service Request	Plat (w/bldg footprint & street address)	Site Layout	Utility Layout	Meter Detail	Landscape Plan	Architectural Rendering
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  Step 4. Determining your cost for underground lines & meter

  Sometimes the best things in life are free

  In this case, if you’re using natural gas for your primary or whole house heat source (furnace, boiler, hydronic, gas-fired heat pump – not electric heat pump & not gas fireplace insert or logs)

  if no main extension is needed to install a service line to your house, we may run up to 100’ (200’ for business) of service line at no cost to you.”

  • There is an overrun fee for the installation of service lines over 100’ (200’ for businesses)
    • $6/ft for 1” pipe
    • $11/ft for 2”pipe

    Other times, there may be a construction cost contribution

    For all other situations or when an extension of the gas main is necessary in order to serve your site, we’ll need to determine your construction cost contribution, if any. Often, the projected Btu load is sufficient to offset the construction costs, alleviating the need, in whole or in part, for an upfront construction cost contribution.

    A Marketing Specialist, with the Energy Services division, will contact you after receiving your inquiry to work up a quote and assist you in your application.

    Calculating the cost

    Because there are many variables that influence the cost of service, it isn’t always possible for us to provide an up-front cost quote. That’s why we’ll need to get information on your order before providing you with a cost estimate.

    Some of the variables that impact the cost calculation

    • Appliances or equipment being installed
    • British thermal unit (Btu) load for each appliance
    • Distance from existing gas infrastructure
    • Paving requirements (as specified by VDOT or the locality’s permitting office)
    • Site conditions, required permits, potential easement requirements, etc

    The cost calculation assumes that you’ll install and utilize all of the natural gas equipment as specified on your application. If you don’t install and utilize the equipment agreed to, within six (6) months of installation of the underground lines, you’ll be responsible for reimbursing Richmond Gas Works for up to the full cost of the line, over and above any cash contribution you may have already made.

    Making your payment

    Your marketing specialist will work with you to make sure all required documents are provided and any required construction cost contribution has been received. Unfortunately, at this time, we can’t accept online payments for the construction cost contribution.

    • All checks or money orders should be made payable to Richmond Gas Works
    • Send or drop off: Richmond Gas Works 900 E Broad Street Room 102 Richmond VA 23219

    Step 5. Establish your account

    A representative from the Development Services team will call you to set-up your account (M-F 7:30 am – 4:30 pm excluding holidays)

    For residential service, don’t schedule your contractor to remove any existing appliances until you or the contractor has first verified that the meter has been set and locked-off.

    Step 6. Mark the meter location

    We’ll prepare any needed technical/site plans for us to construct the main or service lines to serve your site.

    Our meter inspector will determine the location of the meters to ensure all regulatory requirements and guidelines are met.

    • If you indicated a preferred location for the meter with your application, the meter inspector will try to accommodate your preference if feasible.

    Step 7. Get the required building permits

    You or your licensed contractor will need to make sure you’ve applied for and received all required building, mechanical and plumbing permits from your local Building Permits office.

    • Richmond or call (804) 646-4169
    • Henrico or call (804) 501-4360
    • Chesterfield or call (804) 748-1057

    Step 8. Locate underground lines and structures

    • We’ll notify 811 to locate and mark the public utility underground lines (electric, cable, water, sewer/drain, conduits, gas lines, etc.)
    • You’ll need to call 811 to make arrangements for an underground locating contractor to mark any private lines or structures in the way of construction area. This makes sure we can safely install the underground gas lines.
    • • • Septic tanks
        • Drain fields
        • Private underground lines (like irrigation/sprinkler systems, alarm systems, electrical)
        • Buried oil tanks
        • Landscape lighting systems
        • Other underground lines or structures in the way of construction

        Step 9. Schedule all installations

        We’ll schedule our contractor to run all the underground lines, then we’ll set the meter and lock it off. It is then your contractor’s responsibility to make the final connections to the meter.

        For residential service, don’t schedule your contractor to remove any existing appliances until you or the contractor has first verified that the meter has been set and locked off. And remember, make sure your contractor gets all the permits and inspections for the work being done.

        • Richmond or call (804) 646-4169
        • Henrico or call (804) 501-4360
        • Chesterfield or call (804) 748-1057

        For residential service, don’t schedule your contractor to remove any existing appliances until you or the contractor has first verified that the meter has been set and locked off.