FAQ | Utilities for Faculty, Staff & Postdocs

Residents whose utilities (electricity and cooking gas) are not included in their rent must make arrangements with Con Edison for service 48 hours ahead of their move in date or by no later than 72 hours after move-in.

PRO-TIP: Con Edison is the energy company that handles electricity and gas services for residents in New York. You may review their “Start New Service” information online to get your account set up! 

Residents who experience problems or delays in getting their gas and electric service account turned on may contact Columbia Residential at [email protected] for assistance.

Good question! While we cannot predict what your monthly utilities bill will be, in general average electricity and gas bills in NYC may range between $100 - $300 fluctuating during the year based on your usage. Residents may sometime find their bills are higher during the Summer and lower during the Winter.

Residents whose utilities (electricity and gas) are not included in the rent must call Con Edison immediately to make sure they have a service account in their name to avoid any service interruption.

All other residents may contact Columbia Residential at [email protected] for assistance. 

Residents who have a utilities account (electricity and cooking gas) with Con Edison should contact them directly to cancel their service by their move out date.

PRO-TIP: You may review their “Stop Service” information online to close or transfer your account! 

Good Question! Apartments that have ApartmentNet services will likely have a separate internet fee billed on a monthly basis and is reflected on your rent statement.

Information about whether ApartmentNet services are offered in a selected apartment is available in the Housing Portal under the Assignment Tab and Assignment Details.

PRO-TIP: If your offer details have a monthly charge amount listed then ApartmentNet is offered with the rental of your apartment as an additional fee.

If your selected apartment does not have an internet service fee listed in your offer details, then ApartmentNet is not offered with the rental of your apartment.

Residents who live in an apartment where ApartmentNet services are not offered will need to contact an outside internet service provider (e.g. Spectrum, Verizon, etc.), through which phone and cable TV services are also available. 

Columbia University Information Technology (CUIT) provides assistance with any issues regarding ApartmentNet. You may contact CUIT directly by submitting a Support Ticket for help with your Ethernet port. 

Columbia University Information Technology (CUIT) does not maintain a wireless network in Columbia Residential apartments. Residents who have internet services via ApartmentNet will have access to an active Ethernet port in their apartment but will need to bring a personal router to set up a personal Wi-Fi Network.

Residents that have internet via a third-party service provider (e.g. Spectrum, Verizon, etc.) may set up a Wi-Fi network directly with that provider. 

PRO-TIP: You may review CUIT’s “Personal Router Guidelines” for information on setting up your personal router, compatible models and even purchasing one directly from CUIT!