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By using this website, you accept the terms of our Visitor Agreement and Privacy Policy, and understand your options regarding Ad Choices. 8, even as sewage contamination led to closures for 35 days last year. If you are a customer of a municipal utility, call your municipal utility immediately to ask about any assistance programs that may be available. April 23, 2020: CPUC held a workshop on Impacts of COVID-19 on Customer-Oriented Clean Energy Program. Under the terms of the CPUCs vote, utility companies will automatically enroll residential customers who are more than 60 days behind on their energy bills to a COVID-19 Residential Relief Payment Plan that will amortize their debt over a 24-month period. State extends utility cutoff protection through April 2021 This partnership was previously. With one call or click you can get a personalized answer from one of our trusted attorneys, policy consultants, or finance experts! All in all, 83 out of 578 water utilities submitted plans to shut off service for more than 9,500 customers. Auth. Texas regulators vote to ban residential utility shut-offs during pandemic while buoying companies The Texas Public Utility Commission approved an order Thursday that would ban. For more information about which programs you may be eligible for, use DCA's screening tool. Also, utilities may assign delinquent customer debts to licensed collection agencies under the authority provided inRCW 19.16.500and pursuant to a written contract with a licensed agency. Details wont be finalized until the governor approves the budget and the commission will take the $1 billion payments into consideration in a later proceeding. Learn about careers at Cox Media Group. In addition to your utility, you can contact the Department of Public Utilitiesat877-886-5066, or completetheir online complaint form. You, or someone in your home, is seriously ill; You have an infant under 12 months in your home; and, All adults in the home are age 65 or older, Customers who are interested in installing solar panels or enrolling with community solar programs should visit the AGs Office FAQ with consumer tips at, This chart from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), In addition to requesting assistance from your electric or gas utility, residential customers should also contact their local community action agency, as there may be funds available to assist households who earn more than 60 % of the state median income, but still need assistance paying their bills. If you qualify as income eligible, there are several programs, including: (1) Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federally-funded program that helps Massachusetts residents pay their heating bills; (2) the low-income discount rate program for investor-owned electric and gas utility customers; and (3) arrearage management programs (AMPs) for investor-owned electric and gas utility customers. To leave anyone, especially children who rely on utilities to attend virtual school, without electricity or heat is unconscionable when these companies have guaranteed income and millions in revenue.. For water-sewer districts considering rate forgiveness,RCW 57.08.014requires the district to notify all ratepayers of the special rates and any associated cost shifts. This blog is co-authored by Larry Levine (NRDC) and Olivia Wein (National Consumer Law Center). Utilities will continue to provide assistance programs. But in cities and towns all around the country in Texas, Ohio, Indiana, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Illinois, and more utilities have resumed cutting off water when people cant afford to pay. Global travelers on Tripadvisor platform rank Coronado No. Visitwww.mass211.orgor dial 211 to find your local agency. Pa. utility shut-off notice: Here's what you can do if you're at risk. Residential customers making payments under payment plans with their investor-owned electric or gas utility will remain protected from shut-off as long as they make payments under the payment schedule. But tens of millions of people are continuing to accumulate tens of billions of dollars of overdue utility bills. CPUC Industry Divisions will accept the submittal of Advice Letters and related documents by electronic mail. However, if a customer misses more than two payments in their COVID-19 relief plan, they can be kicked out of the plan. Moratoriums on disconnects expiring across the US. Customers should consider the following: Replaced outdated light bulbs with ENERGY STAR certified light bulbs. If your bill lists a competitive supplier that you do not recognize, there are two possibilities. Using Electronic Signatures During Emergencies, Woodward says Spokane economic recovery continues, but problems loom. This is true even if you are behind on rent. If you need assistance, please Contact the Attorney General's Office at (617) 727-2200. But, thewinter moratorium doesnot apply to water utilities. If you are struggling to pay your electric or gas utility bills, reach out to your utility to discuss available payment plans, arrearage forgiveness programs and other payment assistance programs. One water system has already said that it will resume shutoffs the next day. By February 25, 2021, IOUs shall submit drafts of Transition Plan Advice Letters to CPUC staff (, Jan. 22, 2021: Comments on Draft Resolution M-4849. The grace period for residential cable and internet for customers with school-aged children ended on December 31, 2021. Hochul announces rollout of electric and gas utility bill credits for coronavirus State regulators on Tuesday extended protections against utility cutoffs for people who can't pay through April 30, 2021. Those moratoriums are running out, and thousands of unemployed people plus others still battling. These LIHEAP funds, combined with assistance from ERAP, will significantly reduce the impact of the lifting of the moratorium, and prevent potentially hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians from facing termination, Wolf said. The good news: After we confirmed to Fields' provider that she would be getting pandemic aid to pay the bill, the utility agreed to restore her electricity. One possibility is that you are participating in your city or towns community choice electric plan. https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562021/approved/20211222a.shtml, https://www.nj.gov/bpu/newsroom/reports/covid19/Moratorium_Ending_FAQs_061421.pdf. The fact sheet provides a guide for advocates, utilities, and state and local officials who are seeking to help customers with past due and unaffordable water and sewer bills. The feedback will only be used for improving the website. The decision means that utilities will not be able to shut off water, power or heat during the winter months. Keep updated on the latest news and information. Ellen Nowak opposed the decision to prevent all water shutoffs during the winter months. According toRCW 19.16.500(1)(b),utilities may also add a reasonable collections fee to the outstandingdebt. Copyright 2023 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. The policy should provide clear criteria for allowing the debt to be written off and should apply to all types of accounts receivable (water, sewer, garbage, court fines, and other fees and charges that the utility may impose). LIHEAP is available this winter heating season from November 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023. Commissioner Martha Guzman Aceves said the regulator is trying to be responsive to this really dynamic situation that were in, in recovering from this pandemic.. A map from the National Association of Utility Regulators (NARUC) shows there are now 38 states where the moratorium on shutoffs has expired or is voluntary for utility companies. Utilities also offer another way to stay on top of your bills called budget billing. Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, San Diego Gas & Electric and Pacific Power are taking the step until further notice. Hous. April 30, 2021: CPUC Approves Emergency Utility Customer Protection Transition Plans. Southern California Edison Public Safety Power Shutoffs Webpage, San Diego Gas & Electric Public Safety Power Shutoffs Webpage, Bear Valley Electric Service Public Safety Power Shutoffs Webpage, Liberty Utilities Wildfire Mitigation Page, PacifiCorp California Public Safety Power Shutoffs Webpage, The Governors Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz), California Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response website for small businesses. Last month, regulators voted 2 to 1 to extend a temporary moratorium on utility shutoffs during the COVID-19 crisis for residential customers until Nov. 1. Small businesses and nonprofits can apply for SBA disaster assistance programs online or seek assistance from SBAs Customer Service Center at 1-800-569-2955/1-800-877-8339 (TTY). John Fetterman, a progressive who is running for U.S. Senate in 2022, said utility companies should be cooperative and understanding with Pennsylvanians in need. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. In accordance with the approved plans, utilities are communicating with customers about imminent protection expiration, providing support to customers transitioning off of customer protections, and helping customers enroll in applicable assistance programs. Between November 15th and March 15th, residential customers are protected from utility shut off if the utility service is needed to heat your home and you receive service from an investor-owned utility, such as Eversource, National Grid, Unitil, Liberty Utilities, or Berkshire Gas. NJ residents must make utility bill payments by 2021 or risk shut-offs Final Transition Plan Advice Letters available on. Additionally, the period in which the lien may be imposed was amended this year by the legislature (see HB 1069, section 15). Gov. Governor Inslee issuedProclamation 20-23.16 on July 2, 2021, which extended the utility shutoff moratorium through September 30, 2021. In the past MRSC has written that a utility is required to collect a past-due amount and that failing to do so may violate Article VIII section 7of the state constitution, which prohibits a government agency from gifting public funds. The Governor's Executive Order establishes a six-month grace period in which no residential customer will face disconnection of their gas, electric, or water services before the end of the grace period on December 31, 2021. Please limit your input to 500 characters. (Since interest is generally considered to be a penalty for non-payment it is probably included in late fees.). MRSC is a private nonprofit organization serving local governments in Washington State. For policy examples, see our Ask MRSC Archives question: Is there a process for cities to write-off bad debt?. Utilities - Billing and Collection. Board of Public Utilities | Newsroom & Public Notices Customers behind on their utility bills have three more months of assurance they will not get their power shut off for non-payment after the California Public Utilities Commission passed an extension on Thursday. Can't pay your power bill? Don't worry, you're safe for now as OLYMPIA, WA - With a bipartisan 64-31 vote, the Washington State House passed a bill to ensure a utility operator cannot shut off power or water when the National Weather Service issues a heat-related warning or alert. The financial effect of the pandemic has hit utility customers hard in California, a state that is home to one of the highest electricity rates in the country. In addition, any Massachusetts consumer who signs a contract with a competitive supplier should actively monitor their electric supply costs each month to ensure the rate that the supplier charges them is the same rate that was agreed to under the contract. Utility Collection Deferrals, Shutoffs, and Payment Plans. In the first quarter of this year, more than 3.3 million residential customers of the states big four utilities have fallen behind on their bills: Applying SDG&Es figure to its overall residential customer total of about 1.326 million, that means 36.6 percent of SDG&E residential customers are in arrears. And the amount of unpaid bills had increased 67% since 2019 to $1 billion in February. Take steps to reduce your overall energy usage this winter, which should in turn help you lower your utility bill. The proclamations said that customers shall not be charged late fees for energy, telecommunications, or water services between March 23, 2020, and September 30, 2021. The CPUCs oversight consists of ensuring that the utilities are clear about the rules they must adhere to, monitoring the utilities preparation, and evaluating their implementation. May 7, 2020: The CPUC temporarily modified rates for high energy use customers to minimize the impacts of electricity bills in the summer related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Cities like Madison and progressive groups have urged the commission to extend its moratorium on utility disconnections, arguing people can't stay safe or thrive without service. The program protects specific categories of customers from having their gas or electric shut off between November 15 and March 15 of each year. Sign up today for a digital subscription. Those figures were roughly the same in April 2018. Further, the prohibitions on disconnecting or refusing to reconnect these services was limited by the language of the proclamations to residential service, but the prohibition on charging late fees did not include that limitation. Nowak has previously urged the commission to work with the Evers administration to provide assistance to water customers in need through CARES Act funding. KIRO 7 News Seattle facebook feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle twitter feed(Opens a new window), KIRO 7 News Seattle youtube feed(Opens a new window), Powerball jackpot winner identified as longtime Boeing employee, Multiple western Washington residents indicted in connection to coast-to-coast drug ring, Seattle firefighters battle massive Lake City building fire for hours, Saving Private Ryan actor Tom Sizemore dies after brain aneurysm at 61, Thieves lose ATM ripped out of Lakewood credit union. By comparison, about 12 percent of customers had past-due balances in April 2019, amounting to $184million. (Since interest is generally considered to be a penalty for non-payment it is probably included in "late fees.") There is no similar prohibition for sewer or storm water services. In Fields' case, her supplier put her on a payment plan so she could just pay a few dollars a month. Nearly one-third of residential customers among the state's five largest utilities had past-due bills as of August, according to data provided to the commission. Please limit your input to 500 characters. If you are a small business customer that receives electric or gas service through a municipal utility, call your municipal utility to see what programs they offer to help avoid disconnection. We want all Massachusetts residents to be aware of thenew and expanded programs available to assist them in paying their home heating bills. April 1, 2021: Electric, gas, and water utilities submit final Emergency Utility Customer Protection Transition Plan Advice Letters to CPUC. It may also violate the prohibition againstdiscriminating among similarly situated ratepayers [Hous.