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Many utilities that sell electricity and gas around the United States are suspending disconnections of customers who do not pay their bills during the coronavirus crisis, or are being ordered to suspend disconnections by regulators or other government officials.
Other utilities are saying that they will not suspend disconnections, or are making commitments that appear to be more limited in scope.
The Energy and Policy Institute (EPI) is collecting data based on published reports about which utilities are suspending disconnections, and which public utility commissions or other governmental bodies are ordering suspensions. EPI reached out on Friday, March 13, to about two dozen large utility companies directly to ask whether they would be suspending disconnections.
We will be updating the tables below this text with more results on a rolling basis.
– Government bodies have ordered disconnection suspensions statewide in Connecticut, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Ohio and Wisconsin. Illinois and West Virginia regulators are “urging” utilities to suspend disconnections, and the Governor of South Carolina is “request[ing] that all regulated utilities and cooperatives … do not suspend or disconnect essential services.”
– Cities that are taking action to suspend disconnections include Austin, Minneapolis (for its water utility), Seattle, and Tallahassee, plus many others.
– Many investor-owned utility companies have suspended disconnections, including Ameren, American Electric Power, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Evergy, FirstEnergy, Georgia Power, NV Energy, PECO, PG&E, Southern California Edison, Xcel Energy and others.
– Other utilities have not suspended disconnections, or are not stating clearly how broadly they are applying customer relief policies:
In Arizona, while electric utilities Arizona Public Service and Tucson Electric Power have said that they would suspend disconnections, the Salt River Project, a government agency which sells electricity, has said that it is not suspending disconnections. Instead, Salt River Project will “make every effort to work with our customers to avoid disconnections,” the Phoenix New Times reported. Southwest Gas, an investor-owned gas utility in the state, also offered only to “work with” customers facing financial hardship, “whatever the reason,” according to a spokesperson.
UPDATE: Entergy published a statement on Saturday, March 14 updating its policy and saying that it was “temporarily suspending customer disconnects for the next 30 days as we continue to monitor the situation and may extend the period if necessary.”[From Friday, March 13]: In Louisiana, Entergy New Orleans is regulated by the City of New Orleans, not the state. Entergy New Orleans officials would not immediately commit to suspending disconnections when asked by members of the New Orleans City Council on Thursday, according to The Lens. Later that day, Entergy New Orleans sent a letter to council members saying that the company would “temporarily halt customer disconnects for the next 30 days if nonpayment is the result of the COVID-19 virus.” The company did not offer any detail about what a customer would have to do to prove that “nonpayment is the result of the COVID-19 virus.”
In Florida, Florida Power & Light sent customers an email on Friday advising customers having trouble paying their bills to look to federal, state, and local resources, with no comments on disconnection policies. FPL directed customers to FPL.com/help
In Michigan, Consumers Energy told EPI that it is suspending shutoffs only for certain customer classes:
“We are suspending shutoffs for non-pay for low-income and senior customers beginning March 16, 2020 through April 5, 2020,” said Director of Media Relations Katie Carey. “Senior citizens and qualified low-income customers already enrolled in our Winter Protection Program have already had their end dates extended through April 30, 2020, without any additional actions required on their part.”
Deadline Detroit is reporting a similar policy from DTE Energy.
NRG Energy, with service territory across multiple states, issued a statement saying that it extended its “ongoing support to those who may need us,” but offered no comments on updates to its disconnection policies. NRG directed customers to visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s website.
EPI is waiting to hear responses from other utility companies that have not made public statements on disconnections, including Florida Power & Light, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power, and others.
Alabama Power has not responded to queries from EPI, and has issued a statement about its response to the crisis without mentioning anything about disconnection suspensions, despite its sister company Georgia Power announcing a suspension. The advocacy organization GASP (Greater Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution) is calling upon Alabama Power to suspend disconnections until at least May 1 and to waive late payment charges.
Further results are below. If you know information contained here is inaccurate or dated, or if you work for a utility with information not included here, please email us at [email protected].
This list is generally focused on electric and gas utilities. Food & Water Watch is keeping track of water disconnection suspensions here.
Regulators or government bodies that have ordered disconnections suspended:
The ICC is “urging” investor-owned utilities “to take immediate steps to cease disconnections for non-payment, and to suspend the imposition of late payment fees or penalties, until May 1.”
Utilities in New York have voluntarily agreed to this measure, according to the governor’s office. No order from the Public Service Commission is expected.
Commission directs all public utilities under its jurisdiction to review their service disconnection policies, practices, and tariff provisions and to promptly seek any necessary approval to suspend otherwise applicable requirements
Request that all regulated utilities and cooperatives serving the State of South Carolina—including those not currently under the jurisdiction of ORS— do not suspend or disconnect essential services
DTE is … temporarily halting nonpayment shutoffs for low-income customers and seniors … through at least April 5. Customers already in the utility’s Senior Winter Protection Program have had their end dates automatically extended through May 3.
DTE says its payment assistance program may be available for customers who contract coronavirus or lose their income as a result of the outbreak.
FirstEnergy Corp. (Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, Toledo Edison, Met-Ed, Penelec, Penn Power, West Penn Power, Jersey Central Power & Light, Mon Power, Potomac Edison)
“The disconnection moratorium will remain in place until further notice … SDG&E will also waive late payment fees for business customers whose finances have been hit hard by the coronavirus.”
The Salt River Project is not suspending disconnections, spokesperson Scott Harelson said, although the company has asked its customer service representatives to “make every effort to work with our customers to avoid disconnections.”
