2.4.0.80201 - Disclosure - Summary of Business and Basis of Presentationtruefalsefalse1false falsefalseJan_01_2013_Jun_30_2013http://www.sec.gov/CIK0000043350duration2013-01-01T00:00:002013-06-30T00:00:001true 1us-gaap_OrganizationConsolidationAndPresentationOfFinancialStatementsAbstractus-gaap_truenadurationfalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalse1falsefalsefalse00falsefalsefalsexbrli:stringItemTypestringfalse0Summary of Business and Basis of Presentation [Abstract]2false 2us-gaap_OrganizationConsolidationAndPresentationOfFinancialStatementsDisclosureTextBlockus-gaap_truenadurationfalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalsefalseverboseLabel1falsefalsefalse00    Note 1 – Summary of Business and Basis of Presentation Nature of Business Gas Natural Inc. (the “Company”) is the parent company of Brainard, Energy West, GNR, GNSC, Great Plains, Independence, Lightning Pipeline 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, North Carolina and Wyoming as well as non-regulated operations in Maine, Montana and Wyoming. GNR is a natural gas marketing company that markets gas in Ohio. GNSC manages gas procurement, transportation, and storage for Brainard and subsidiaries of Lightning Pipeline and Great Plains. Great Plains is the parent company of NEO, which is a regulated natural gas distribution company with operations in Ohio. Lightning Pipeline is the parent company of Orwell which is a regulated natural gas distribution company with operations in Ohio. Clarion River and Walker Gas are divisions of Orwell and are regulated natural gas distribution companies with operations in Pennsylvania. Independence is a non-regulated subsidiary that delivers liquid propane, heating oil, and kerosene to customers in North Carolina and Virginia. PGC is a regulated natural gas distribution company in Kentucky. The Company currently has five reporting segments:   <table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="100%" border="0" style="border-collapse:collapse; text-align: left" align="center">  <tr> <td width="3%"> </td> <td valign="bottom" width="1%"> </td> <td width="3%"> </td> <td valign="bottom" width="1%"> </td> <td width="24%"> </td> <td valign="bottom" width="1%"> </td> <td width="67%"> </td> </tr>   <tr> <td valign="top"> </td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top"> • </td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top">Natural Gas Operations</td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top">Annually distributes approximately 33 billion cubic feet of natural gas to approximately 70,000 customers through regulated utilities operating in Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wyoming.</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="8"> </td> <td height="8" colspan="2"> </td> <td height="8" colspan="2"> </td> <td height="8" colspan="2"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> </td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top"> • </td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top">Marketing and Production Operations</td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top">Annually markets approximately 1.4 billion cubic feet of natural gas to commercial and industrial customers in Montana, Wyoming and Ohio. Manages midstream supply and production assets for transportation customers and utilities through the subsidiary, EWR. EWR owns an average 46% gross working interest (an average 39% net revenue interest) in 160 natural gas producing wells and gas gathering assets in Glacier and Toole Counties in Montana.</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="8"> </td> <td height="8" colspan="2"> </td> <td height="8" colspan="2"> </td> <td height="8" colspan="2"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> </td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top"> • </td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top">Pipeline Operations</td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top">The Shoshone interstate and Glacier gathering natural gas pipelines located in Montana and Wyoming are owned through the subsidiary, Energy West Development. Certain natural gas producing wells owned by Energy West Development are being managed and reported under the marketing and production operations.</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="8"> </td> <td height="8" colspan="2"> </td> <td height="8" colspan="2"> </td> <td height="8" colspan="2"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> </td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top"> • </td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top">Propane Operations</td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top">Delivers liquid propane, heating oil and kerosene to approximately 3,400 residential, commercial and agricultural customers in North Carolina and Virginia through the subsidiary, Independence.</td> </tr> <tr> <td height="8"> </td> <td height="8" colspan="2"> </td> <td height="8" colspan="2"> </td> <td height="8" colspan="2"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top"> </td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top"> • </td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top">Corporate and Other</td> <td valign="bottom"> </td> <td valign="top">Encompasses the results of corporate acquisitions and other equity transactions. Included in corporate and other are costs associated with business development and acquisitions, dividend income, activity from Lone Wolfe, LLC, and recognized gains or losses from the sale of marketable securities.</td> </tr>  </table> Energy West, Incorporated 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, we changed our name to Gas Natural Inc. and reincorporated from Montana to Ohio. Moving the incorporation to Ohio enhances the Company’s flexibility and provides a more efficient and sophisticated platform from which to operate and grow. Basis of Presentation The accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2012, which has been derived from audited financial statements, and the unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements of Gas Natural Inc. have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information, the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not contain all disclosures required by generally accepted accounting principles. In the opinion of the Company, all normal recurring adjustments have been made, that are necessary to fairly present the results of operations for the interim periods. Certain reclassifications have been made to prior period amounts to conform to current period presentation. Such reclassifications have no effect on net income as previously reported.   Operating results for the three and six month periods ended June 30, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2013. A majority of our revenues are derived from our natural gas utility operations making our revenue seasonal in nature. Therefore, the largest portion of our operating revenue is generated during the colder months when our sales volume increases considerably. The interim results on the accompanying condensed consolidated statement of comprehensive income are not indicative of the estimated results for a full fiscal year. Reference should be made to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. The effect of stock option exercises equivalent to 1,053 and 6,548 shares for the three months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively, would have been anti-dilutive and therefore, were excluded from the computation of diluted earnings per share. There were no stock option exercise equivalents that would have been anti-dilutive for the six months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012. There have been no material changes in the Company’s significant accounting policies during the six months ended June 30, 2013 as compared to the significant accounting policies described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements ASU No. 2011-11, “Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” In December 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-11, which requires entities to disclose information about offsetting and related arrangements to enable users of financial statements to understand the effect of those arrangements on an entity’s financial position. The amendment requires enhanced disclosures by requiring improved information about financial instruments and derivative instruments that either offset in accordance with current literature or are subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement, irrespective of whether they are offset in accordance with current literature. This ASU was effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning on or after January 1, 2013; the disclosures are retrospectively applied for comparative periods. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the accompanying financial statements. ASU No. 2012-02, “Testing Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets for Impairment” In July 2012, the FASB issued ASU 2012-02. The update simplifies the guidance for testing the decline in the realizable value (impairment) of indefinite-lived intangible assets other than goodwill. Examples of intangible assets subject to the guidance include indefinite-lived trademarks, licenses, and distribution rights. The standard applies to all public, private, and not-for-profit organizations. The amendments allow an organization the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether it is necessary to perform the quantitative impairment test. An organization electing to perform a qualitative assessment is no longer required to calculate the fair value of an indefinite-lived intangible asset unless the organization determines, based on a qualitative assessment, that it is “more likely than not” that the asset is impaired. ASU 2012-02 was effective for annual and interim impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after September 15, 2012. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the accompanying financial statements. ASU No. 2013-01, “Clarifying the Scope of Disclosures about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities” In January 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-01, which clarifies which instruments and transactions are subject to the offsetting disclosure requirements established by ASU 2011-11. The new ASU addresses preparer concerns that the scope of the disclosure requirements under ASU 2011-11 was overly broad and imposed unintended costs that were not commensurate with estimated benefits to financial statement users. In choosing to narrow the scope of the offsetting disclosures, the FASB determined that it could make them more operable and cost effective for preparers while still giving financial statement users sufficient information to analyze the most significant presentation differences between financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and those prepared under IFRSs. ASU 2013-01 became effective for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2013. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the accompanying financial statements.   ASU 2013-02, “Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income” In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-02 to amend the guidance in the FASB ASC Topic 220, entitled Comprehensive Income. The goal behind development of the ASU 2013-02 amendments is to improve the transparency of reporting reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income. Other comprehensive income includes gains and losses that are initially excluded from net income for an accounting period. Those gains and losses are later reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income into net income when realized. The amendments to FASB ASC 220 do not change current requirements for reporting net income or other comprehensive income in the financial statements. Essentially, all of the information required to be displayed or disclosed in financial statements already are required to be disclosed in the financial statements. The adoption of this ASU did not have a material impact on the accompanying financial statements, but did require additional disclosure. falsefalsefalsenonnum:textBlockItemTypenaThe entire disclosure for organization, consolidation and basis of presentation of financial statements disclosure.Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 810 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 8 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=28200181&loc=SL6228881-111685 Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 720 -SubTopic 15 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2122524 Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 205 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6359566&loc=d3e326-107755 Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 235 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6367646&loc=d3e18780-107790 Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 205 -SubTopic 10 -Section 45 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=7668296&loc=d3e288-107754 Reference 6: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 810 -SubTopic 10 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2197480 Reference 7: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 810 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=18733093&loc=d3e5614-111684 Reference 8: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 915 -SubTopic 235 -Section 50 -Paragraph 1 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6472506&loc=d3e38932-110933 Reference 9: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 852 -SubTopic 10 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2209116 Reference 10: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 272 -SubTopic 10 -Section 50 -Paragraph 3 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6373374&loc=d3e70478-108055 Reference 11: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 275 -SubTopic 10 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2134480 Reference 12: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 205 -SubTopic 10 -URI http://asc.fasb.org/subtopic&trid=2122150 false0Summary of Business and Basis of PresentationfalseSummary of Business and Basis of PresentationUnKnownUnKnownUnKnownUnKnowntruefalsefalseSheethttp://ewst.com/role/SummaryOfBusinessAndBasisOfPresentation12