Summary of Business

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2014

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Summary of Business and Basis of Presentation

Note 1 – Summary of Business

Nature of Business

Gas Natural Inc. (the “Company”) is the parent company of Brainard, Energy West, GNR, Independence, GNSC, Great Plains, Lightning Pipeline, Lone Wolfe, and PGC. Brainard is a natural gas utility company with operations in Ohio. Energy West is the parent company of multiple entities that are natural gas utility companies with regulated operations in Maine, Montana, and North Carolina as well as non-regulated operations in Maine and Montana. GNR is a natural gas marketing company that markets gas in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Great Plains is the parent company of NEO, a regulated natural gas distribution company with operations in Ohio. NEO is the parent company of 8500 Station Street, a property management company, and Kidron, a small natural gas well company in Ohio. Lightning Pipeline is the parent company of Orwell, a regulated natural gas distribution company with operations in Ohio, and Spelman, a natural gas pipeline company in Ohio. Clarion River and Walker Gas are divisions of Orwell and are regulated natural gas distribution companies with operations in Pennsylvania. PGC is a regulated natural gas distribution company in Kentucky. The Company currently has three reporting segments:

⋅	Natural Gas Operations	Annually distributes approximately 26 Bcf of natural gas to approximately 68,000 residential, commercial, and industrial customers through regulated utilities operating in Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.  Approximately 93%, 89%, and 91% of the Company’s revenue was derived from its regulated natural gas operations for the years ended December 31, 2014, 2013, and 2012, respectively.
⋅	Marketing & Production	Annually markets approximately 1.3 Bcf of natural gas to commercial and industrial customers in Montana, Wyoming, Ohio, and Pennsylvania through our EWR and GNR subsidiaries.  Our EWR subsidiary also manages midstream supply and production assets for transportation customers and utilities.  EWR owns an average 55% gross working interest (average 46% net revenue interest) in 160 natural gas producing wells and gas gathering assets located in Glacier and Toole Counties in Montana.
⋅	Corporate & Other	Encompasses costs associated with business development and acquisitions, dispositions of subsidiary entities and results of discontinued operations, dividend income, recognized gains or losses from the sale of marketable securities, and activity from Lone Wolfe which serves as an insurance agent for the Company and other businesses in the energy industry.

Energy West was originally incorporated in Montana in 1909 and was reorganized as a holding company in 2009 to facilitate future acquisitions and corporate-level financing to support the Company’s growth strategy. On July 9, 2010, the Company changed its name to Gas Natural Inc. and reincorporated from Montana to Ohio.