March 16, 2020 – Utilities around the country are initiating moratoriums on utility disconnections following the National Emergency Declaration announced by the World Health Organization (WHO). The Energy and Policy Institute (EPI) is providing a live list of utilities that are either suspending or not suspending utility disconnections. To view the live list, visit the EPI web site.
States such as Illinois, New York, Iowa, Ohio and Massachusetts have been ordered to participate in the moratoriums by government bodies. Utilities in Austin, Minneapolis, Seattle and Tallahassee, among others, have taken action to suspend the disconnections.
Some utilities that are not participating have stated that they will, “make every effort to work with customers to avoid disconnections,” and work with customers facing financial hardship, “whatever the reason.”
Utility moratoriums are generally date-based or temperature-based, and not enforced by government bodies. To view the standard moratorium policies, visit the LIHEAP Clearinghouse Seasonal Termination Protection Regulations web page.
A link to the live list of participating utilities is also available on the LIHEAP Clearinghouse State Disconnection Policies web page.
