On occasion, we enclose a scratch and sniff insert with your utility bill so you and your family can recognize the odor added to natural gas. If you would like to learn more about natural gas or have questions about its safe use, we would be glad to tell you more.

Keep all of your natural gas appliances and equipment clean and properly maintained to help ensure safe operation. A trained Montana-Dakota service representative can assist you in this effort. Just call us to schedule a visit to your home. There is a charge for this service.


Why does natural gas smell so bad?

Actually natural gas doesn’t smell at all so, for safety’s sake, we make it smell. Natural gas is both colorless and odorless making it undetectable to our senses. Companies like Montana-Dakota odorize gas using Mercaptan, a highly recognizable substance. Mercaptan is introduced into the gas stream as it flows through our pipes. It is detectable in concentrations as low as two parts per billion. It burns along with the natural gas in your furnace, water heater and other gas appliances. Each year, we include a "scratch and sniff" bill insert to remind you of what Mercaptan smells like.
If you smell natural gas inside your home, go to a neighbor’s phone and call your heating contractor or Montana-Dakota right away because, like all fuels, natural gas is highly flammable. Make sure you do not turn any electric appliances on or off including your telephone.


Play It Safe with Natural Gas Appliances
Flammable vapors are heavier than air and can travel a long way on the floor. They can even be carried to other rooms by air currents. If precautionary measures are not taken, vapors from flammable liquids such as gasoline, kerosene and solvents can explode and catch fire causing severe burns or death. The vapors can be ignited by any open flame or by the flip of an electric switch.

Because of this danger, the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association (GAMA) urges owners of appliances such as furnaces, water heaters and clothes dryers that have standing pilot lights to be careful where dangerous liquids are stored. To prevent accidental ignition, GAMA recommends not to use or store flammable products in the same room or area where natural gas appliances are located. Homeowners are also encouraged to keep flammable products in approved containers, tightly closed and out of children's reach..

For Our Electric Customers
We take pride in our record of reliable electric service. We never realize how much we depend on this silent servant until it is interrupted by a bad storm or equipment failure.

If your power should go out, find out if neighboring homes still have electric service. If they still have power, check your fuse box or circuit breaker panel. If a fuse is blown, or a circuit breaker is open, turn off the lights and appliances on the circuit. This will help prevent damage to your appliances and your electrical system as well. Then replace the fuse with the correct amperage for the circuit or turn on the breaker. If a fuse continues to blow or breaker to open, call an electrician to find and repair the problem.

When the electric outage is not confined to your home, disconnect or turn off as many electrical appliances and lights as possible. This will help protect your equipment and reduce the initial demand for electricity when the power is reconnected. Leave one light switched to the "on" position so you can tell when power is restored. Then you can reconnect appliances one at a time.

Call Montana-Dakota to report any outage not confined to your home unless you know a neighbor has already reported it.

Montana-Dakota's primary goal is to furnish satisfactory electric service at fair rates. But, our electric system is widespread and exposed to storms and other factors we cannot control. Although we employ the latest developments in equipment and operating methods to maintain adequate service, we cannot guarantee uninterrupted power. If you have computers and other sensitive equipment that require high grade, uninterrupted power, you should check with your computer equipment supplier for information on devices that will ensure the power quality you need.

Why Your Monthly Bills Vary
There are many reasons why your utility bill may vary from month to month. Here are some examples of why bills vary:

Weather. Outside temperature is a major factor in making your bills go up or down. Cold, windy weather forces your furnace to provide more heat to keep your home comfortable. Likewise, hot, humid summers cause your air conditioner to use more energy to cool your home.

Longer Nights. Winter months bring shorter days and longer nights which means you'll have more indoor activity and use more energy.


Change in Lifestyle. House guests, illness, new baby, and so on can mean more showers, more laundry and more cooking. Each increases energy use, even if only for a short time.


Vacations. Your home will probably use less energy when you're away. But, remember your refrigerator and maybe your furnace and other appliances continue to operate (and use energy) while you're gone.

Appliances. Adding appliances or appliances that need cleaning or repair usually use more energy.

Seasonal Uses. Car engine heaters to help start your car on a cold winter morning or the extra refrigerator you use to cool additional food and beverages are examples of items that could increase your bills during different times of the year.

Number of Billing Days. Your billing days may vary. The more days you've used energy, the higher your bill will be. Your utility bill tells you how many days your bill covers.

Other Services. You may have incurred a charge for some service from Montana-Dakota which will increase your bill.

Many customers ask why their utility bill is different from their neighbor's. Again, there are several reasons:

Housing Differences. The type of construction, size and location of a house have a lot to do with how much energy it uses. A large, well-insulated house protected from the wind may use less heating energy than a small, poorly insulated house exposed to cold winter gusts.
Differences in Occupancy. A dwelling's utility costs are also affected by its number of occupants, their ages and living habits. Since preferences in room temperatures, laundering, bathing and cooking styles differ among households, differences should be expected in the amount of energy used by dwellings even in the same neighborhood.

Appliances. The number of appliances found in a home and how often they are used can significantly affect energy usage, especially electricity.

Lifestyle. Stay-at-homes tend to use more energy than those who are out frequently.

Starting and Stopping Service
We try to make it as convenient as possible for you to begin or end natural gas and/or electric service. Here are some tips that will make it easier:

Contact your local Montana-Dakota office and let us know the date you want service to start or stop. Please contact us as far in advance as possible.

We might need access to your home to start or stop service. We'll make those arrangements when you contact us.

We don't require deposits from customers who have established good credit. But, we pay interest on a deposit when one is required. The deposit will be returned to you after 12 months if you have established a prompt payment record.

If you request that we start or stop service during working hours, there is no charge, provided that this service has not been previously requested within the past year. Outside of working hours, however, there is a charge for this service.

If you're interested in establishing natural gas and/or electric service to a home or other building which does not already have service, you should contact your local Montana-Dakota office.

We are flying south for the winter. What should we do about our energy service from MDU?

Before your move, here are some energy tips to keep your home in good shape while you enjoy the warm weather this winter.

Have your heating system checked by a qualified service representative before you leave. This will help prevent the system from overheating or going out completely which could result in frozen water pipes and other damage to your home.

Find someone to watch your house during your absence. Have this person check the temperature in your house as well as keep the chimney and your meter free of ice or snow.

Empty refrigerators and freezers, unplug, clean and leave doors ajar.

Make payment arrangements with Montana-Dakota and other utilities for monthly services.

Unplug small appliances

Turn your water heater to the lowest possible setting.

Turn your home heating system to the lowest possible setting but make sure it is warm enough to protect your home from freezing.

Enjoy your winter and we'll see you again next spring.

How You Buy Energy
Every time you flip a switch or turn a dial you buy energy. It's our job to bring electricity and/or natural gas to your meters, but you are responsible for how it is used inside your home. You do have control over your bill. By being aware of how you use energy, and by eliminating waste, you may be able to reduce your bill, or at least keep it from increasing as quickly as it might otherwise.

Natural Gas: Your natural gas meter measures the volume of gas you use each billing period. Your bill shows the difference between your meter's present and previous readings in units called "Mcf" (an Mcf is one thousand cubic feet). Since the energy content of an Mcf of natural gas varies throughout our service area, we convert the volume of gas you use to energy units called "decatherms" (a decatherm, or dk, equals one million British thermal units of energy). By doing this, we ensure you are billed for the amount of energy you used based on the energy content of natural gas for your locality. You pay neither more nor less than your fair share.

Electricity: Your consumption of electricity is measured and billed in units called kilowatt-hours (kwh). The number of kilowatt-hours you use each month is shown on your bill. Light bulbs can be used to help you understand kilowatt-hours. If you turn on ten 100 watt bulbs, you create a demand of 1,000 watts or 1 kilowatt of electricity (10 bulbs x 100 watts). If those 10 bulbs burn for one hour, you've used one kilowatt-hour of electricity. If the lights burn for three hours, you have used 3 kwh. The expected demand in kilowatts is indicated on most electrical appliances.

Meters: Your electric and natural gas meters measure how much energy you use. Meters are accurate instruments and care must be taken to ensure they are not damaged. Tampering with a utility meter is not only a criminal offense, but it's dangerous too.

Your meters are read about the same date every month. If we are unable to read your meter because of extreme weather conditions, or if the meter is inside and we cannot gain access, we may have to estimate usage on your bill that month. Any difference between our estimate and your actual usage will be corrected automatically the next time your meter is read.

After your meter is read, your bill is figured according to the rates that have been approved by the Public Service Commission or the Public Utilities Commission of your state. Copies of these rates are available at your local Montana-Dakota office. When there is a change in rates, we include an explanation of the change with your utility bill.

How to Pay Your Bill

By mail - in the return envelope included with your bill. Don't forget to include the upper portion of your bill along with a check or money order. It is not a good idea to send cash through the mail. Please put the proper stamp on your envelope or the post office will return it to you.
Our mailing address is:

    Montana-Dakota Utilities Co.
    PO Box 5600
    Bismarck, ND 58506-5600

In person - at the Montana-Dakota office listed on your utility bill. Please bring your utility bill with you.

By credit card or electronic check - Customers may pay their Montana-Dakota Utilities bill by credit card (MasterCard, VISA or Discover) or by electronic check. These services are provided by Ecommerce Group's Western Union® Speedpay® and are offered to Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. customers as a payment option. Western Union® SPEEDPAY® will apply a convenience fee of $3.95 for processing the transaction. Each time a payment is authorized, by phone or online, you will be reminded of the convenience fee and given the opportunity to accept the fee before any transaction occurs.


Pay-By-Phone or Pay Online - Payments can be made by phone or online anytime with with electronic transfer from your checking account, savings account or money market account. You can also use ATM or Debit cards if the card has a "NYC", "PULSE", or "STAR" logo, or your Visa, MasterCard or Discover credit card.

Pay-by-Phone and Pay Online options use Western Union® Speedpay®, an independent service provider not affiliated with Montana-Dakota Utilities, to process all payments. Each time you use these services you will be charged a convenience fee of $3.95 by Western Union Speedpay for each transaction. Your credit card or bank statement will show the combined total of the utility bill and the convenience fee. Each time a payment is authorized, you are reminded of the convenience fee and given the opportunity to accept the fee or end the transaction. Payments made after 4:00 P.M. Central Time will be processed the following day.



Pay-by-Phone
Call 1-866-263-5185 and follow the prompts. You may also opt to speak to a MDU customer service representative from 7:30 AM to 6:30 PM Central Time by calling 1-800-638-3278. (Be sure to have your account number ready.)
•  
• Pay Online
  Click here to be redirected to the Speedpay website. (Be sure to have your account number ready.)


At deposit boxes - which are authorized by Montana-Dakota. To be given the deposit box location nearest your home, you may contact us at 1-800-MDU-FAST, ask your local Montana-Dakota representative or find the most convenient box on this List of Deposit Boxes.

We ask that you not deposit cash in our payment drop boxes. Paying by personal check or money order is much more secure and makes the possibility of missing payments less likely.

Easy-Pay - We can't think of an easier way to pay your energy bill than through Montana-Dakota's Easy-Pay program, an automatic payment plan. With it, your bank and Montana-Dakota do the work!

With Easy-Pay, monthly energy bills are paid with funds transferred to Montana-Dakota from your checking or savings account. All you do is record the amount in your checking or savings account each month.

Each month you'll receive your Montana-Dakota bill as usual. Then 14 to 18 calendar days after the billing date, your financial institution will deduct your payment from your checking or savings account. By taking advantage of Easy-Pay, you will be saving on postage because you won't be writing or mailing any checks and there is no charge for the service from Montana-Dakota or the financial institution! All customers whose accounts are in good standing are eligible to participate.

To enroll in Easy-Pay, call 1-800-MDU-FAST to get an authorization form.

Customer Service Forms

Our Customer Service Center is regularly asked to send forms to our customers for a variety of reasons, and we are glad to do it. If you don't want to wait for the form in the mail, here are some of the most requested forms in Portable Document Format (PDF) for you to download, fill in on your computer, print and send back.

Balanced Billing Enrollment (PDF 40 Kb)
Easy Pay Enrollment (PDF 40 Kb)
New Customer (PDF 32 Kb)
Preferred Service (PDF 32 Kb)
Preferred Service Plan Brochure (PDF 173 Kb)
Preferred Service - Electric (PDF 36 Kb)
Electric Preferred Service Plan Brochure (PDF 2Mb)
Property Owner (PDF 16 Kb)

Third Party Notice

Montana-Dakota Utilities Co. (MDU) has a program available called "Third Party Notice." The purpose of the program is to help avoid any hardship which could result from disconnection of service by alerting a third party to such action in advance. This voluntary program would most benefit customers who are ill or elderly and live alone.

Under the "Third Party" Notice program, if it would be necessary to disconnect service due to nonpayment of past due bills, the customer as well as the designated third party would be notified prior to the disconnect date. The third party would then have the right to contact MDU and declare the customer's inabilitiy to pay and enter into a payment arrangement for the customer.

A third party can be a friend, relative, church or any community agency. The designated third party will have the right to receive and provide information regarding the customer's circumstances.

Please talk with this third party before you tell MDU this person will help you. The third party will not be responsible for payment of the customer's bill.

If your personal circumstances require that a third party be aware of a potential disconnection of your utility service, please notify MDU as soon as possible. If you know of someone who might benefit from third party notification, please let them know of it. As individual circumstances frequently may change, Third Party Notices are valid for one year only, and an annual renewal is required. Please complete the form and return it to MDU - even if you have done so before.

For information of public agencies and community organizations which may be able to assist in payment of winter utility bills, please call the telephone number found on your utility bill or write to the MDU office address, also found on your utility bill.