What to have ready when you call a utility, and what to write down

Get out the most recent bill for each utility. The account number and the service address, exactly as the utility prints them, are on it. Then have your dates ready: the stop date at the old home and the start date at the new one. The utility transfer checklist works both out and tells you the latest day to call each utility.

Call the number printed on your bill or listed on the utility's own website. Some details on these calls are private, so only give them to a number you looked up yourself.

• Name of the account holder
• Account number
• Service address
• Phone number and email
• The date to stop service
• A forwarding address for the final bill

Source: City of San Diego, Stop Water/Wastewater Service, checked October 10, 2026.

That's the list the City of San Diego gives for stopping water and sewer service. It also says a stop can take up to seven business days to process, and you can ask up to 30 days before you move out. Other utilities keep their own lists, so start with this one and add whatever they ask for.

Source: City of San Diego, Stop Water/Wastewater Service, checked October 10, 2026.

Ask whether anyone needs to be home on the stop date. Dominion Energy says nobody does if the meter is easy to reach. If a fence, a locked gate or a dog blocks it, an adult has to be there. Dominion also works stop orders Monday to Friday only, holidays excluded, so a weekend move may mean a Friday or Monday stop date.

Source: Dominion Energy, Stop Service (Virginia), checked October 10, 2026.

• The new address with the unit or apartment number
• The start date, usually the day you get the keys
• ID: Consumers Energy asks new customers for a Social Security number and a driver's license or state ID
• The lease, if they ask for it after the call
• A phone number and email for the new account

Source: Consumers Energy, Start, Stop or Transfer Service, checked October 10, 2026.

Consumers Energy can't move service out of someone else's name into yours, so a new account in your name is its own request. If a crew has to visit to turn service on, give them time: National Grid on Long Island asks for 5 to 7 days' notice to schedule one.

Source: Consumers Energy, Start, Stop or Transfer Service, checked October 10, 2026; National Grid, Check, Start, Stop, or Transfer Service (Long Island home), checked October 10, 2026.

1. Confirmation number

   Ask for it if they don't give it. The utility can find your request with it if something goes wrong.

2. The date they booked

   Read it back to them. A wrong date is easy to fix on the call and hard to fix on move day.

3. Home or not

   Write down whether someone has to be there for the meter or a crew, and the time window if there is one.

4. Where the final bill goes

   Confirm the forwarding address, and ask when it should arrive. Dominion issues it the business day after the final reading; Consumers Energy says up to 40 days.

5. The new account number

   Write it next to the new address and use it to set up any automatic payment again.

6. Date and time of the call

   Add the date and time of the call, and the name of whoever helped if they give one.

Source: Dominion Energy, Stop Service (Virginia), checked October 10, 2026; Consumers Energy, Start, Stop or Transfer Service, checked October 10, 2026.

On move day, read the meters at both homes and add them to the same sheet. The meter readings guide shows how to read each kind.

• Tip 01

  One card per utility

  Use a separate card or line for each company, so confirmation numbers don't get mixed up.

• Tip 02

  Copy the address from the bill

  If the unit number or the street spelling doesn't match the utility's records, the account can be hard to find. Read the address the way the bill prints it.

• Tip 03

  Have the lease handy

  Keep a photo or PDF of the lease on your phone in case the utility asks for it after you call, as Consumers Energy can.

  Source: Consumers Energy, Start, Stop or Transfer Service, checked October 10, 2026.

• Tip 04

  Check your inbox the same day

  If the utility says it will email a confirmation and none arrives, call back with the confirmation number while the details are fresh.

• Tip 05

  Book the stop for a weekday

  Some utilities only work stop orders on weekdays. Pick a stop date they can actually meet.

  Source: Dominion Energy, Stop Service (Virginia), checked October 10, 2026.

This page is one part of a bigger job. The system page puts the parts in order.

• SystemUtility setup and transfer: one call day, two meter daysCount back from move day to one call day, stop the old home the day after you leave, start the new one on key day, and photograph every meter both times.8 steps · 3 parts · 1 page to printOpen the system

• Chapter 04Utility transfer checklistEnter your move-out and move-in dates. Get the last day to call electric, gas, water, trash and internet, the meter days, and a utility list to print.Open the tool
• Practical noteHow to fill in a move-in condition checklistOne letter per row, then what, where and how big, plus the photo number. Notes a stranger can read a year later, and what to do with the copies.Read the guide
• Know-howMeter readings to record on move dayRead and photograph the electric, gas and water meters at the home you leave and the one you move into. How digital and dial meters read, and what to write.Read the guide
• Chapter 04All moving toolsMoving tools with a printable sheet behind each one: a numbered move-in photo list, a condition sheet for renters, and the dates to call each utility.Open the chapter

• Stop Water/Wastewater Service, City of San Diego Public Utilities Department. Checked October 10, 2026.
• Start, Stop or Transfer Service, Consumers Energy (Michigan). Checked October 10, 2026.
• Stop Service, Dominion Energy (Virginia). Checked October 10, 2026.
• Check, Start, Stop, or Transfer Service, National Grid (Long Island, New York, residential gas). Checked October 10, 2026.

Every outside number on this page names its source and the date we checked it. See them all on the sources page. Spotted an error? Tell us.