Extreme Summer Weather Disconnection Protections

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Cassie Allen
Tags, General Interest, Energy

Woman sitting in front of AC during heatwave

Fire, smoke, and heatwaves have sadly become a normal part of Oregon’s summers. Thankfully, permanent rules adopted by state regulators ensure Oregonians have greater consumer protections around disconnection during extreme weather events. These protections are designed to keep more households connected to power, ensuring Oregonians can access life-saving cooling devices during hot, smoky weather.

Extreme Summer Weather: Disconnection Limits & Added Protections

Losing access to heating, cooling, and more in extreme weather can be life-threatening. Now, customers of Oregon’s for-profit utilities have stronger permanent protections.

Protections: Disconnections for non-payment are limited during extreme heat and very poor air quality events.

You Need to Call Your Utility to Regain Service in Extreme Weather

Extreme weather protections are available for all customers. If you have been disconnected because of past-due bills ahead of an extreme weather event, you must call your utility company to get gas or power restored during the protected times. Utilities will not reconnect you automatically. Income-qualified customers and medical certificate customers are not required to pay up-front costs to reconnect in these instances.

Hot Weather Protections

Year-Round Heat Protections
Hot-weather protections apply when there is an extreme heat warning, extreme heat watch, or heat advisory issued, no matter the time of year. These protections only apply to electric utilities (PGE, Pacific Power, and Idaho Power).

All Electric Residential Customers:

No disconnections 24 hours before a hot weather event, during the event, and 48 hours after.

Electric Bill Discount Program Participants & Medical Certificate Holders:

No disconnections 24 hours before a winter weather event, during the event, and 48 hours after.
No upfront costs for reconnection for anyone who has been disconnected up to seven days before the event. Past due balances and applicable reconnection fees will be applied later.

Air Quality Protections

Year-Round Protections
Air quality protections apply when the Air Quality Index (AQI) is forecasted to be at or above 100, no matter the time of year. These protections only apply to all for-profit utilities (PGE, Pacific Power, Idaho Power, NW Natural, Cascade, and Avista).

All Residential Customers:

No disconnections during the air quality event and 48 hours after.

Bill Discount Program Participants & Medical Certificate Holders:

No disconnections during the air quality event and 48 hours after.
No up-front costs for reconnection for anyone who has been disconnected up to seven days before the event. Past due balances and applicable reconnection fees will be applied later.

Wildfire Evacuation Protections

Wildfire protections apply during Level 2 and Level 3 evacuation notices issued in a customer’s area. These protections only apply to all for-profit utilities (PGE, Pacific Power, Idaho Power, NW Natural, Cascade, and Avista).

All Residential Customers:

No disconnections for 48 hours after wildfire evacuation notices have been lifted.
No up-front costs for reconnection for anyone who has been disconnected up to seven days before the event. Past due balances and applicable reconnection fees will be applied later.

Protecting Against Wildfires: Public Safety Power Shutoffs

During periods of high wildfire risk, utilities may shut off power to mitigate the risk of a fire. Shutting off power during fire season is itself a public hazard, which is why Oregon’s electric utilities use this option only as a last resort. Shutoffs can interrupt cell phone service, delay emergency response, and endanger the health of residents. These kinds of outages are particularly hazardous when they coincide with extreme heat waves.

Not all Oregonians are subject to these preventative outages. Only customers in certain high-risk zones will see public safety shutoffs.

The best way to prepare for a public safety shutoff is to stay informed ahead of time. Customers can sign up to receive alerts from their utility when a power shutoff is coming.

Portland General Electric:
Sign up for text alerts through your account. Download the PGE app for up-to-date alerts.

Pacific Power:
Sign up for text alerts through your account. Download the Pacific Power app for up-to-date alerts.

Idaho Power:
Sign up for text alerts through your account. Download the Idaho Power app to receive real-time alerts.

For more in-depth information on wildfire emergencies and alerts, download the FEMA mobile app to receive details on large-scale wildfires. During an emergency declaration, FEMA updates its app to ensure people have access to up-to-date evacuation information.

We need to keep each other safe and informed during extreme summer weather. Share these protections with your community to stay safe!

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