Connecticut’s moratorium on electricity, gas and water cutoffs that began at the start of the pandemic is coming to an end

Hartford Courant - 9/8/2021

An 18-month moratorium dating to the start of the pandemic that halted gas, electric and water shutoffs for nonpayment by customers ends Sept. 15.

Service will not be disconnected for residential customers who are identified as having a financial hardship. The Berlin-based utility urges customers to seek information about payment assistance options and protection from service disconnection.

“The last thing we want to do is disconnect anyone’s service, but the fact is unpaid energy bills increase costs for all customers,” said Jess Cain, Eversource vice president of customer operations.

Eversource advises business and residential customers who are having trouble paying their bills to contact the utility to work out a payment plan or assistance program.

The state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority ordered Eversource Energy and United Illuminating in March 2020 to halt utility shutoffs, except for public safety, during the public health emergency declared by Gov. Ned Lamont.

Companies including Eversource Energy and United Illuminating asked regulators in February for authority to resume shutting off power. The Lamont administration urged then that the moratorium remain in place, saying Connecticut is “too early” in emerging from COVID-19 to begin lifting the ban on utility shutoffs.

The ban on residential service disconnections based on hardship remains in effect through Nov. 1. By law, a winter ban on disconnections based on hardship take effect and extends through May 1, 2022.

The moratorium was imposed in response to hardships that quickly emerged in March 2020 as the pandemic swept through Connecticut. Hundreds of thousands of workers were left unemployed, with no income to pay their bills.

Due to disparities in income, residents of low-income households would be harder hit by electricity, gas and water cut-offs than higher income residents, a factor cited by Attorney General William Tong when he asked PURA in March 2020 to impose a moratorium.

PURA had fined several utilities over allegations that customer service representatives gave misleading information to customers about hardship designations and other issues.

Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com.