FAQ
Who provides natural gas in Woodbury?
Quick Answer
CenterPoint Energy is the natural gas provider for Woodbury and most of the Twin Cities metro. It's a completely separate account and bill from your electric service, which in Woodbury is Xcel Energy, so new residents typically need to set up two utility accounts rather than one. Most homes in Woodbury are on natural gas for heating, water heating, and often cooking, so this is not an optional account to skip.
Key Takeaways
- CenterPoint Energy is the natural gas utility serving Woodbury; it does not also provide electric service here.
- Electric service in Woodbury comes from Xcel Energy, so new residents set up two separate utility accounts, not one combined account.
- Most Woodbury homes rely on natural gas for furnace heat and water heating, making this account essential to set up before or immediately after move-in, especially outside of summer.
- Gas service almost always requires an in-person or scheduled meter access appointment for a new account, unlike electric, which can often be activated remotely.
- Budget billing / equal payment plans are available through CenterPoint and can smooth out the seasonal swings typical of Minnesota winters.
- If you smell gas or suspect a leak, that's a call to CenterPoint's emergency line or 911, not a routine customer service matter.
If you're coming from a market where one utility handles both gas and electric, Woodbury's setup catches a lot of new residents off guard. Here's how the natural gas side actually works, and what tends to trip people up during a move.
Why Gas and Electric Are Two Different Accounts
Minnesota's Twin Cities metro is generally split between separate gas and electric utilities rather than one combined provider. In Woodbury, CenterPoint Energy handles natural gas distribution, while Xcel Energy handles electric service. They're independent companies with independent billing, independent customer service lines, and independent processes for starting or stopping service — there's no single phone call or online form that sets up both at once.
That distinction matters most in the first week or two after a move. It's easy to assume that calling "the power company" covers everything, get electric turned on, and then discover a week later that the furnace or water heater isn't working because nobody actually opened a gas account. In a Minnesota winter, that's not a small oversight.
Two utilities, two accounts, two bills
Setting up utilities in Woodbury means contacting CenterPoint Energy for gas and Xcel Energy for electric separately. Neither company can activate the other's service on your behalf.
What Natural Gas Actually Powers in a Typical Woodbury Home
Natural gas isn't just a line item — in most Woodbury homes it's doing a meaningful share of the work, which is part of why getting the account set up correctly matters.
- Furnace heat. The large majority of homes in this part of the metro use a gas furnace as the primary heat source, which makes this the single biggest reason the account can't wait.
- Water heating. Gas water heaters are common in both older and newer Woodbury construction.
- Cooking. Many kitchens, particularly in homes built with gas ranges, run cooktops off the same gas line.
- Fireplaces and outdoor features. Gas fireplaces and, in some newer developments, gas stub-outs for grills or fire pits are also tied to this same account.
Dave's Local Insight
I've had more than one closing where a buyer assumed the seller's existing gas service would just "carry over" the way some cable or streaming subscriptions do. It doesn't. Accounts are tied to the person, not the address, so the outgoing owner's service gets closed and the incoming owner has to open a new one — even if it's the exact same meter that's been running the whole time.
Setting Up a New CenterPoint Account
The mechanics of opening a gas account are a little different from electric, and it's worth planning around that rather than assuming it'll be instant.
Timing matters more than people expect
Electric service can frequently be switched on remotely, sometimes same-day. Gas is more often not that simple: a new account, especially at a property where service was previously shut off entirely, can require a scheduled appointment for a technician to turn the meter on and check for a safe, leak-free connection inside the home. That scheduling window can run from same-day to several days out depending on the season and appointment availability, so this is not the utility to leave until move-in morning if you can help it.
What you'll typically need on hand
Before you call or go online to set up gas service
- Your move-in date and full new address
- A form of identification and, in some cases, a Social Security number for a residential account
- Whether you're an owner or renter, since some documentation requirements differ
- A phone number and email for account communications and any appointment scheduling
- Awareness that a technician may need brief access inside the home to light pilot lights or confirm a safe connection
Billing options worth knowing about
CenterPoint, like most gas utilities in cold climates, offers a budget billing or equal-payment option that averages your annual estimated usage into a flatter monthly amount, rather than a bill that spikes hard every January and drops to nearly nothing every July. For a new resident still budgeting around a mortgage payment and other move-in costs, that predictability can be genuinely useful, even if it means slightly overpaying in shoulder-season months to smooth out winter.
Ask about budget billing early
Equal payment plans are usually easiest to enroll in once you have a few months of actual usage history, or at account setup if the utility offers an estimated starting amount. It doesn't hurt to ask when you first open the account.
What to Watch For as a Resident
A few practical notes worth keeping in mind beyond the initial setup:
- Seasonal usage swings are normal. A December or January gas bill several times higher than a June bill isn't a sign of a leak or a broken meter — it's just Minnesota heating a house through a cold winter.
- Meter access matters year-round. Keep the exterior meter area clear of snow, ice buildup, and landscaping so it stays accessible for reading and maintenance.
- A gas smell is never a "wait and see" situation. Rotten-egg odor, a hissing sound near a gas line, or dead vegetation in a patch near an underground line are all reasons to leave the area and call CenterPoint's emergency line or 911 immediately — not something to submit through a routine customer service form.
Suspected gas leak
If you smell gas, don't operate light switches, phones, or appliances near the source. Get everyone out of the house and call from a safe distance.
The Bottom Line
CenterPoint Energy provides the natural gas that heats most Woodbury homes and, in many cases, powers the water heater, stove, and fireplace too — and it's an entirely separate relationship from Xcel Energy's electric service. Treat it as its own to-do item during a move, plan for the possibility of a scheduled activation appointment rather than instant same-day service, and ask about budget billing if you'd rather not see your bill triple every winter. Getting both utility accounts open before you need heat is a small task now that saves a genuinely uncomfortable phone call later.
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Written by Dave Brown
REALTOR®, LPT Realty
Dave Brown is a REALTOR® with LPT Realty who has spent his career helping families buy, sell, and settle into life in Woodbury, Minnesota and the surrounding East Metro. He writes Woodbury Living as a local resource first and a business second — every guide is meant to leave you better informed, whether or not you ever work together.
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