The EQT SWHP charge on your gas bill is a monthly fee for an optional Service Warranty Home Plan, not a charge for gas you used. It runs roughly $7 to $14 a month, and it’s administered by HomeServe USA, a third-party warranty company. Your gas utility only collects the money on HomeServe’s behalf, which is why the utility can’t remove it. To cancel, you call HomeServe directly at 1-833-521-0208.
What EQT and SWHP Stand For
EQT refers to EQT Corporation, a natural gas producer that used to own a utility distribution business called Equitable Gas Company. EQT sold Equitable Gas to Peoples Natural Gas in 2013, but billing systems often keep legacy codes long after a corporate change.1EQT Corporation. EQT Closes Gas Utility Sale That’s why “EQT” still shows up as a descriptor on accounts in the former Equitable Gas territory even though Equitable Gas is no longer a separate company.
SWHP is short for Service Warranty Home Plan. HomeServe USA administers it and partners with utilities to sell optional protection for residential infrastructure like gas lines, water lines, and water heaters.2HomeServe. Peoples Launches Water Heater Service Plans Through HomeServe Because the fee is bundled onto your gas statement alongside your usage, it’s easy to miss for months.
What the Plan Covers
The plan is designed to cover repairs to the gas piping you own as a homeowner. Your gas utility owns the main line under the street and the service line up to your meter; everything from the meter into your home is your responsibility.3National Fuel. Pipe and Line Responsibility That includes the exterior line running underground from the meter to the house and the interior piping to your appliances. When those pipes fail from corrosion, ground shifting, or age, the repair is on you, and most standard homeowners policies exclude underground utility lines. The warranty pays for labor, materials, and permit fees on covered repairs and typically includes emergency dispatch of a licensed technician.
Coverage Limits You Should Know Before Deciding
The plan’s restrictions matter more than the marketing suggests. A bundled plan covering exterior gas, sewer, and water lines may cap total payouts at $1,000 per contract term for all three combined. A standalone gas line plan can go much higher, up to $8,000 per term in some cases.4HomeServe. Gas Line Terms and Conditions A single buried gas line repair can blow through a $1,000 aggregate cap on its own, so check which plan you actually have.
Other terms to be aware of:
- New enrollees can’t file a claim during the first 30 days. The waiting period goes away on renewal.5HomeServe. HomeServe Terms and Conditions
- Problems you knew about before enrolling are excluded, but issues you couldn’t have detected through visual inspection or normal use are generally still covered even if they predated the plan.5HomeServe. HomeServe Terms and Conditions
- The plan pays to fix the failed pipe, not consequential damage. If a leak destroys landscaping, driveway, or flooring, that’s your cost.
- Repairs you arrange yourself without prior authorization from HomeServe generally aren’t reimbursed.5HomeServe. HomeServe Terms and Conditions
How You Got Signed Up
Most people don’t remember agreeing to this charge, and there are three usual explanations. The first is the initial setup call for gas service: representatives often pitch add-on protection plans while activating your account, and in the middle of a move it’s easy to say yes without registering what you agreed to. The second is a corporate transition. If a prior account holder had the plan through Equitable Gas, it may have carried over when accounts migrated to Peoples Natural Gas.
The third is negative option marketing. The warranty company sends a mailer offering a free trial or introductory period, and if you don’t opt out by a stated deadline, silence is treated as consent and billing begins. The FTC requires sellers using this model to clearly disclose material terms before collecting billing information.6Federal Trade Commission. Rule Concerning Recurring Subscriptions and Other Negative Option Programs If you were enrolled without clear disclosure, you have grounds to dispute the charges.7Federal Trade Commission. Negative Option Rule
Is It Worth Keeping?
Before you cancel, run the math against the alternatives. At $7 to $14 a month, the plan costs $84 to $168 a year and may only cover one type of line. Many homeowners insurance companies offer a service line endorsement covering underground gas, water, sewer, and electrical lines for roughly $20 to $50 a year, with per-incident limits that can reach $10,000 or more.
Call your homeowners insurer and ask whether they offer service line or utility line coverage, then compare the annual cost, per-incident limit, and deductible against your SWHP plan. For many homeowners the insurance endorsement gives broader coverage for less money. If your home has newer polyethylene gas lines (under 20 years old), you might reasonably skip both, since modern piping is far less prone to the corrosion that causes most failures.
How to Cancel the Charge
Cancel with HomeServe, not your gas company. The utility is only the billing agent and can’t remove the charge on its own. HomeServe accepts cancellations by several methods:8HomeServe. Frequently Asked Questions
- Phone: 1-833-521-0208
- Email: info@homeserveusa.com, including your full name, property address, and plan name
- Online: sign in at homeserve.com and cancel through your account dashboard
- Mail: HomeServe USA, 7134 Lee Hwy, Chattanooga, TN 37421
Before you call, pull up your latest utility statement and note the exact charge amount and the month it first appeared. Ask for a confirmation number on the call. If you cancel by email or letter, keep a copy. The charge should drop off within one to two billing cycles. Watch those next two statements. If it’s still there, call your gas company’s billing department with your cancellation confirmation and ask them to remove it manually.
Getting a Refund for Past Charges
Ask for a retroactive refund on the same call. There’s no universal rule on how far back HomeServe will go; it depends on the circumstances and how you were enrolled. If a negative option mailer you never responded to put you on the plan, your case is stronger than if you verbally agreed on a phone call years ago. Expect the possibility of a partial refund covering a few months rather than the full billing history.
If HomeServe refuses any refund and you believe you were enrolled without proper consent, you have two escalation paths. File a complaint with your state’s public utility commission, which oversees third-party charges billed through regulated utilities; most states require you to try to resolve the issue with the company first. You can also file a complaint with the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint if you think the enrollment violated negative option disclosure requirements.