Cost to Convert

Formerly, Leatherstocking Gas had a 10-year socialized cost for installing most gas lines. What that meant was there was no direct, up-front costs for most people to get natural gas. Everyone that became a customer paid a portion of their monthly bill, based on usage, as a temporary construction charge.

This charge was known as a Construction Build Out Contribution in Aid of Construction Fee or CBOCF. The CBOCF charge disappeared 10 years from the date the first customer was connected in a particular township or borough.

For Bridgewater residents, the CBOCF charge ended in November of 2023. For Montrose residents, the CBOCF charge ended in October 2024, and the Dimock CBOCF ended in February 2025.

Now that the CBOCF has terminated, the company may charge each individual person or business for a portion of the installation of natural gas piping based on the length of the main and the service line. This is a Contribution in Aid of Construction or CIAC (pronounced like "kayak"). If main is required to be installed, the estimated revenue collected over a five-year period from the customer must exceed the expenses incurred by the company to install main at no charge. If it does not, the customer must pay the difference. The first 100 feet of service line are free. Service lines that exceed 100 feet after consideration of an annual anticipated revenue calculation may incur a charge. See pages 12, 13, and 19 of our tariff for further details.