Norwich - Residents who live near new and existing natural gas lines along with those who want Norwich Public Utilities to expand gas lines to their neighborhoods met with utility officials, contractors and financiers Thursday in the state's first pilot project to urge residents to convert to natural gas heating.

Energize Norwich, a partnership of utilities, lenders, contractors and the marketing firm SmartPower, hosted an open house Thursday at the East Great Plain Fire Department attended by dozens of residents interested in converting to natural gas.

"I'm ready to do it," West Avenue resident Sarah Ramos, who currently has oil heat, said. "I just need to find out about the process. This is exactly what we needed."

West Avenue is in the Cherry Hill area where NPU recently expanded natural gas lines. About 160 homes will be eligible to tie into the gas lines starting this fall, said Jeffrey Brining, NPU Energy efficiency coordinator.

The new Energize Norwich campaign is designed to urge residents to commit to converting to natural gas this fall to take advantage of discounted contractor prices, low-cost loans provided by Core Plus Federal Credit Union and Eastern Savings Bank and the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority.

Residents who live along existing and new gas lines who sign contracts with NPU by Sept. 30 could be connected into the system before this winter. Brining said time and weather are the main factors that would limit the number of tie-ins. About 40 customer tie-ins remain available this fall. More could be added depending on the weather, he said.

A second deadline of Nov. 18 has been set for residents to sign contracts to lock into discounted contractor prices for installing gas lines and equipment. Brining said even if that work can't be done until spring, those customers who sign contracts by Nov. 18 will have the guaranteed price.

Several residents not near an existing gas line also attended Thursday's informational session, expressing interest for new lines to be installed in their neighborhoods. Voters over the past few years have approved $11 million in bonding to expand gas lines in neighborhoods where enough residents and businesses are willing to hook into the system to pay for the project.

Occum resident Linda Theodoru asked NPU officials to extend the gas line to her neighborhood. She said she lives a mile from the end of a gas line, and said the densely populated residential and business area would be ideal for the gas expansion.

Katie Moors, the NPU coordinator for the gas line expansion, said NPU would schedule neighborhood informational meetings similar to Thursday's session in other neighborhoods where residents are interested in gas lines. Moors showed residents maps of areas where gas lines exist and took names of residents interested in the gas expansion.

Residents near existing gas lines who are interested in tying in, along with residents interested in having a neighborhood meeting for a possible future expansion, are asked to call Moors at NPU at (860) 823-4514.

c.bessette@theday.com