Consumer advocates say they expect an increase in calls from customers worried that Maine’s utilities will be allowed to cut off electricity in mid-April for those who are behind on payments.
State law prohibits Central Maine Power Co. and Versant Power from pulling the plug on customers from Nov. 15 to April 15, five months that typically cover the worst of Maine’s winters.
About 19,000 CMP customers are behind on their payments, spokesman Jon Breed said Friday. That’s about 3% of the utility’s 653,000 customers in southern and central Maine.
The number is decreasing to what it had been before the COVID-19 pandemic, Breed said. During the pubic health emergency five years ago, cascading economic problems forced businesses to shut and unemployment to rise, prompting state policymakers to craft consumer-friendly protections such as moratoriums on electricity shutoffs.
Advocates told lawmakers last year that while Maine has strong consumer protections for winter disconnection, the growing threat of climate change could lead to dangerously high temperatures.
A law enacted last year requires the state Public Utilities Commission to establish rules prohibiting electric or gas disconnections during “extreme weather or temperature conditions, including extreme heat or humidity.” State rules forbid a utility to disconnect when a customer is in an area designated by the National Weather Service when it issues a heat advisory or an excessive heat warning.
Electricity will not be immediately shut off on April 15, as CMP and Versant Power say they will work with delinquent customers to find financial help or sign up for a payment plan.
“There are several phone calls before we get to that point,” Breed said.
Versant spokeswoman Judy Long said the utility does not have information about how many customers are delinquent. The utility, which has about 165,000 customers in northern and eastern Maine, has been in touch with affected customers. It is urging ratepayers who are behind on their bills to contact Versant to figure out how to pay.
“The best thing they can do is call,” she said.
The PUC and Office of the Public Advocate say that based on their experience in previous years they expect a spike in calls from customers.
The public advocate advises customers to call their utility to find out the minimum amount to pay to keep the power on. The agency also suggests ratepayers call 211 to determine if they’re eligible for public assistance programs.
CMP says its Home Energy Assistance Program provides federal grant money to qualified customers to help pay heating costs and also may help with weatherization needs; the Electricity Lifeline Program helps customers who qualify to receive up to $1,200 toward their electricity bill; and the Arrearage Management Program that helps qualified customers who are enrolled in the other two programs reduce their past due balance by as much as $500 each month, as monthly payments are made.