Digging Into Public Works In-person regional forums and training resources for public works staff and local contractors. But utilities will have to balance their need to maintain their revenue stream with the reality that some of their customers may not have the ability to pay the past-due debt and keep up with current expenses. Consider solar energy to reduce electricity usage. In the case of small businesses in disadvantaged communities, the payment cannot exceed 5 percent of the customers average monthly bill. And while they applied to water and sewer districts as well as other municipally-owned utilities, the proclamations did not specifically include sewer or stormwater services. With one call or click you can get a personalized answer from one of our trusted attorneys, policy consultants, or finance experts! You should also closely review your electric and gas utility bills to determine whether you are buying your electric or gas supply from your utility or from another entity, often called a competitive supplier. At least 30 days before assigningdebt, theutility must first attempt to notify the debtor of the existence of thedebtand that thedebtmay be assigned to a collection agency if not paid. If one of these suppliers is on your bill, it is possible that one of these companies switched your electricity supply without your permission. You skipped the table of contents section. Utility Collection Deferrals, Shutoffs, and Payment Plans. Jay Inslee previously ordered a moratorium on shut-offs, which he extended nine times. The Washington State Department of Commerce has assembledresources for utility customers behind on their payments, and the Washington Department of Healths Office of Drinking Water has a customer assistance program. Visit, For more information on community choice electric plans, also known as municipal aggregations, visit this website maintained by the Department of Public Utilities, In addition to your utility, you can contact the Department of Public Utilitiesat877-886-5066, or complete. 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. Mass.gov is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. People can apply for assistance online at TRR's website or over the phone by calling the TRR call center at 833-9TX-RENT (833-989-7368). SDG&E asking regulator to increase rates starting next year, Heres how much lower your SDG&E bill might be in March, SDG&E kicks in $16 million of shareholder funds to help financially strapped customers, Behind on your SDG&E utility bill? Massachusetts consumers should also take steps to avoid an automatic renewal of their supply contract. Many residents are struggling to pay their bills, including their monthly utility bills, following the COVID-19 crisis and due to the currently high fossil fuel prices. The utility shutoff grace period ended on March 15, 2022 for all water, electric, and sewer customers. Bessette said that puts utilities in a tough spot with landlords whose tenants can't or won't pay. For businesses, the plan ensures that the monthly payment does not exceed 10 percent of the customers average monthly bill. Don't fall behind on your bills or you may find yourself in the dark.__________________________. Other assistance programs for income-eligible customers are available year-round through investor-owned gas and electric utilities, including a low-income discount rate program, which helps make bills more manageable, and an arrearage management program (AMP), which helps customers who have an unpaid balance on their bill and are struggling to pay. Utilities in Wisconsin will once again be able to shut off services for customers who fail to pay their bills. As state COVID-19 lockdown orders from Gov. Maintaining access to water and other essential utility services remains as vital as ever to safeguard public health, as the pandemic continues. Inflation and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine are driving up fossil fuel prices and in turn energy rates for customers across the country this winter. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, state and local governments have barred utility companies from shutting off services such as gas, electric and water. Click here for more on competitive electric suppliers. Energy utilities will apply for CAPP assistance on behalf of customers who incurred a past due balance of 60 days or more on their energy bill during the COVID-19 pandemic relief period covering March 4, 2020 through June 15, 2021. PSC Chair Rebecca Cameron Valcq highlighted the growing number of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin. But if you are falling behind on utilities, get help as soon as possible so you are not shut off. Sign up now! BGE Customers With Disconnected Service Can Get Service Restored During COVID-19 Pandemic. Customers with higher income levels will be offered payment plans of at least one or two years. 505 Van Ness Avenue Earlier this year, the commission reported that statewide enrollment in CARE has increased 13.6 percent and FERA enrollment shot up 45 percent. One possibility is that you are participating in your city or towns community choice electric plan. Visitwww.mass211.orgor dial 211 to find your local agency. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has not announced program rules or released funds to the states. Editor's note: This blog has been updated to remove references tostate guidance related to the creation of COVID-19 customer support programs. SBA COVID-19 Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources, California Department of Public Health (CDPH), California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), News and Outreach Office A deadlocked Public Utility Commission earlier this month ensured utility companies could move forward with terminations starting April 1, potentially leaving low-income workers and students. Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, https://www.dhs.pa.gov/coronavirus/Pages/Emergency-Rental-Assistance-Program.aspx, Fully vaccinated Pennsylvanians can gather without masks, but only in these situations, COVID-19 vaccine motivation: Krispy Kreme is giving away free doughnuts for showing vaccination card, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Six utilities serving more than 21 million Californians have announced that they will not shut off customers' power for non-payment as the coronavirus continues to disrupt daily life. The PUC approved a motion that will allow customers to set up payment plans with their utility companies that could extend for five years for low-income families and at least 18 months for small businesses. The financial impact of the pandemic has been devastating for many in our community and helping our customers by providing flexible payment options and access to bill assistance resources has been a priority for us, Prince said in an email. Those balances amounted to $235.7 million. The state Department of Human Services has worked with counties to make available the money in the Emergency Rental Assistance Program and the $270 million infusion to LIHEAP from the federal American Relief Plan. 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. Since it has not been referenced in any subsequent proclamations, the guidance may not have any legal effect. 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. Most significantly, for the first time ever, Congress in December 2020 and March 2021 appropriated funds specifically for low-income water and wastewater assistance a total of $1.138 billion for an emergency Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP). Murphy was set to sign an executive order Monday that ends the 15-month moratorium on utility shut-offs on July 1, but creates a grace period through Dec. 31 for residents to sign up for a. We will be monitoring very closely the extent to which state and federal funding efforts address the debt that consumers face, Rechtschaffen said. You can also go towww.heatinghelpma.orgto find more information about your local community action agency and eligibility. Any person who is making good faith efforts should never have their services shut off, he said. If you are a residential customer struggling to pay your utility bills, behind on your payments, or interested in more regular payments, reach out to your electric or gas utility to discuss available payment plans and payment assistance programs that may be available. "I'm charging my cell phone in my truck when I can. The four-month lien limit on water services (enforceable only by water shut-off) is extended by: The period in which the lien may be imposed is the later of: (a) Three months from the expiration of the emergency declaration preventing collection or a lien; or (b) Three months of the ratepayer's failure to abide by the terms of an agreed payment plan, if the payment plan for past due charges would have allowed the ratepayer to repay the past due charges over a period of six months or more. It can reduce electric bills 30 to 35 percent. With clear criteria, the governing body can delegate the authority to write-off the debt to staff without further involvement from the governing body. Please see below for contact numbers for each investor-owned electric and gas utility. 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. At all other times, if you are experiencing financial hardshipandone of the following applies, your electric or gas cannot be shut off without permission from the Department of Public Utilities: In addition, payment plans are available to avoid shut off and manage utility bills. As an alternative to the collection provisions in that section, RCW 36.94.150(3) allows the county to adopt the procedures in RCW 35.67.290 for collection. If your bill lists a competitive supplier that you do not recognize, there are two possibilities. The order also applies to small-business customers who have bills at least 60 days past due. ones. NRDC and NCLC have submitted recommendations to HHS on how to implement LIHWAP equitably and efficiently. Puget Sound Energy reported giving $7.6 million in bill credits to nearly 14,000 customers. This new law provides several important safeguards for residential utility customers by: prohibiting shutoffs during the COVID-19 state of emergency for non-payment of a utility bill;. In the past year, the CPUC and the states utilities stepped up efforts to get eligible customers to sign up for the California Alternate Rates for Energy, or CARE, and the Family Electric Rates Assistance, or FERA programs. (Getty Images) Paying . When you sign up you'll become a member of NRDC's Activist Network. The heat dome of 2021 claimed the lives of 157 people in Washington State . The Biden Administration and Congress have not acted on urgent calls to ban water shutoffs during the COVID-19 pandemic. If you received a shut-off notice from your electric or gas utility, call your utility immediately and ask to enroll in a payment plan. 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.. Those enrolled in certain other programs (including Supplemental Security Income, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, USF, and Lifeline) are protected by the Winter Termination Program. Please do not include personal or contact information. Your electric or gas utility may be able to arrange a new payment plan that you can afford and, at the same time, the utility can also check your eligibility to participate in a range of payment assistance programs (see discussion below about available residential electric or gas payment assistance programs). If you need help paying your utility bills or your arrears, visit the Board of Public Utilities' Assistance Programs page. "I just want some time to get my money," she said. You'll receive your first NRDC action alert and Those moratoriums are running out, and thousands of unemployed people plus others still battling. According to research at Indiana University that looked at a nationally representative sample of households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level, 20% of Black households and 28% of Hispanic households reported being unable to pay an energy bill between June and August 2020, compared to just 12% of white households. 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. 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. Customers should consider the following: Replaced outdated light bulbs with ENERGY STAR certified light bulbs. But since many utilities issue a combined utility bill it may be difficult to separate out services for which it can charge late fees from those it cannot. Tony Evers invested $15 million in CARES Act funding to the state's Low Income Heating and Energy Assistance Program in order to help residents pay their heating bills. 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. In such circumstances, a lien may be filed for all charges due during the period covered by the declaration and may be effective for six months after the expiration of the declaration of the emergency. In New York City, the numbers reported include only water and sewer accounts that are at least 180 days overdue; the total of all overdue water and sewer bills in New York City is certainly much higher. Hous. Any utilities who may disconnect service once the winter moratorium ends would also have to submit those plans to regulators by Feb. 15. Between November 15th and March 15th, residential customers are protected from utility shut off, At all other times, if you are experiencing financial hardship. Anyone facing eviction should seek legal assistance, go to . March 27, 2020: Joint Letters to IOUs re: Essential Wildfire and PSPS Mitigation Work, March 20, 2020: Business Continuity and COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) Response Plans. A deadlocked Public Utility Commission earlier this month ensured utility companies could move forward with terminations starting April 1, potentially leaving low-income workers and students without a way to connect to their jobs or schools. If your household income is between 60 to 80% of the state median income, you may be able to receive help from theGood Neighbor Energy Fund. In Fields' case, her supplier put her on a payment plan so she could just pay a few dollars a month. Some individual water utilities are continuing to suspend shutoffs, even after state bans expire, while some others never do shutoffs at all for non-payment. Illinois' moratorium on utility shut-offs during the COVID-19 pandemic ends Wednesday, but there is still help available for anyone who needs assistance paying bills.
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