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Bad Debts | 12 Months Ended
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Dec. 31, 2011
Bad Debts [Abstract] |
Bad Debts | Note 6: Bad Debts Unitil's distribution utilities are authorized by regulators to recover the costs of their energy commodity portion of bad debts through rate mechanisms. In 2011, 2010 and 2009, the Company recorded provisions for the energy commodity portion of bad debts of $1.8 million, $1.4 million and $1.9 million, respectively. These provisions were recognized in Purchased Electricity and Purchased Gas expense as the associated electric and gas utility revenues were billed. Purchased Electricity and Purchased Gas costs are recovered from customers through periodic rate reconciling mechanisms. The following table shows the balances and activity in the Company's Allowance for Doubtful Accounts for 2009 – 2011 ($ millions): ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS
|  | Balance at Beginning of Period |  |  | (a) Other |  |  | Provision |  |  | Recoveries |  |  | Accounts Written Off |  |  | Balance at End of Period |
Year Ended December 31, 2011 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electric |  | $ | 1.8 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 2.1 |  |  | $ | 0.2 |  |  | $ | 2.4 |  |  | $ | 1.7 |
Gas |  |  | 0.7 |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | 2.2 |  |  |  | 0.3 |  |  |  | 2.7 |  |  |  | 0.5 |
Other |  |  | 0.1 |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | 0.1 |
|  | $ | 2.6 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 4.3 |  |  | $ | 0.5 |  |  | $ | 5.1 |  |  | $ | 2.3 |
Year Ended December 31, 2010 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electric |  | $ | 1.7 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 2.0 |  |  | $ | 0.2 |  |  | $ | 2.1 |  |  | $ | 1.8 |
Gas |  |  | 0.7 |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | 2.5 |  |  |  | 0.4 |  |  |  | 2.9 |  |  |  | 0.7 |
Other |  |  | 0.1 |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | 0.1 |
|  | $ | 2.5 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 4.5 |  |  | $ | 0.6 |  |  | $ | 5.0 |  |  | $ | 2.6 |
Year Ended December 31, 2009 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Electric |  | $ | 1.1 |  |  | $ | — |  |  | $ | 2.3 |  |  | $ | 0.2 |  |  | $ | 1.9 |  |  | $ | 1.7 |
Gas |  |  | 1.8 |  |  |  | 0.5 |  |  |  | 1.4 |  |  |  | 0.3 |  |  |  | 3.3 |  |  |  | 0.7 |
Other |  |  | 0.1 |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | — |  |  |  | 0.1 |
|  | $ | 3.0 |  |  | $ | 0.5 |  |  | $ | 3.7 |  |  | $ | 0.5 |  |  | $ | 5.2 |  |  | $ | 2.5 |
(a) | Includes Allowance for Doubtful Accounts of Northern Utilities and Granite State, which were acquired on December 1, 2008.

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