What to Do When You Can’t Pay Your Northwest Natural Gas Bill
Northwest Natural Gas is a natural gas company started in 1852 by John Green and Herman Leonard. The two businessmen wanted to provide gas to the street lights in Portland. After gaining the approval they needed, Oregon became a state. Today, the Northwest Natural gas company serves more than 600,000 homes in both Oregon and Washington.
How to Pay Your Bill
Northwest Gas offers a number of payment options for customers.
Pay online check: Check payments are processed online FREE. You can pay your Northwest Natural Gas bill online if you register for an online account via https://www.nwnatural.com/Payment.
Pay online credit card and debit card: Online credit and debit card payments are processed through a third-party company. The company charges customers a $3.95 fee per transaction. If you pay two times a month, you will pay two fees.
Auto-pay: Auto-pay is a FREE service provided by Northwest Natural Gas. All customers have to do is sign in to their online account and sign up for automatic payments. They must agree to allow Northwest Natural Gas to debit their bank account for all current charges on the due date.
Pay by phone: Phone payments are processed at 1-800-422-4012.
Pay by mail: Customers can mail their payment stub and check for payment to:
NW Natural
Attn: Payment Processing
PO Box 6017
Portland, OR 97228-6017
Questions About Your Billing Statement or Account?
NW Natural Gas lists non-honored payment fees, late payment charges and service reconnection charges in the Miscellaneous Charges document. Most fees are explained in this document, but if your bill contains fees not described contact the customer service department at 1-800-422-4012.
How the Penalty Fees Work
When customers cannot make payments to Northwest Natural Gas, they will incur late payment fees and other penalties.
- Late payment fee: Customers are charged 1.7% of the past due balance as a late payment fee if payment is not made on-time.
- Reconnection charges (standard): $25 during business hours. $75 after business hours.
- Reconnection charges (curtailment): $150 during business hours. $600 after business hours.
- Returned funds: $15 per returned payment.
- Field visit charge: $15 per visit.
I Can’t Make a Payment
Customers having difficulty making payment for Northwest Natural Gas should contact customer service before gas payment is disconnected. The customer service contact number is 1-503-226-4212 or 1-800-422-4012.
Equal pay: Equal pay breaks up the previous 12 month’s average into 12 equal payments. This allows the customer to pay the same amount each month instead of paying higher bills during peak seasons.
Level pay: Customers pay 1/12 of the total due balance plus an equal payment each month. The customer is billed normal charges, but they only have to pay the Level pay amount.
Current Bill Plus: The Current Bill Plus plan is a payment plan designed to help bring past due accounts current. Customers can pay the past due amount in 12 equal payments in addition to current charges.
LIHEAP home energy assistance program: Customers receive assistance from the federal government in order to pay your Northwest Natural Gas heating or cooling bills. To qualify for assistance, you must meet financial requirements. We also recommend applying for assistance early due to limited funding.
Will They Work With Me to Pay My Bill?
How did Northwest Natural Gas respond to your financial hardship needs? Did they work with you to pay off that past due bill?
