New Protections Against Energy Shutoffs for Oregon Households
Posted on December 8, 2022 by Charlotte Shuff
Tags, Energy, General Interest
Oregon state utility regulators have approved new rules to strengthen consumer protections. With these new rules, Oregon’s largest energy utilities will have tighter restrictions on when they can shut off energy to a household. Customers now also have stronger protections around transparency, added fees, and more.
Preventing Shutoffs
Utility shutoffs are more than an inconvenience - they are incredibly painful, dangerous, and expensive for families. Low-income households and people of color are most likely to have their power shut off. These new rules are a major win for people in Oregon.
No Disconnections During Severe Winter Weather
State utility regulators have adopted new rules that prevent utilities from shutting off energy services during severe weather. From November to March, this includes times when an area has:
- a winter storm warning
- temperatures forecasted below 32 degrees
- an Air Quality Index forecasted above 100
These protections ensure that households can stay safe and warm during weather extremes. Keeping the heat on during low temperatures and poor air quality can be lifesaving for many. This is especially important for seniors and many people with medical conditions.
No Disconnections with Wildfires
Regulators secured protections for Oregon households during wildfire emergencies. With the new rules, customers cannot be disconnected when under a wildfire evacuation order.
This change applies to those at risk of a utility disconnection for non-payment of their bills. Utilities are still allowed to shut off energy to an area for public safety. The new protections mean that a household struggling to pay their bills will not have to return home to navigate the red tape of reconnecting.
Easier Process for Energy Medical Certificates
Emergency Medical Certificates prevent disconnections if losing service would significantly endanger the physical health of someone in a household. With the newly adopted protections, these certificates are much easier to get. Now, a customer can self-certify or get verbal confirmation from a medical professional to receive an emergency certificate. Households also have 30 days to get the certification in writing from a medical professional.
By making these protections easier to access, medically vulnerable people in Oregon can keep their life-saving energy services. Now, those with limited access to doctors or medical professionals have more time to handle the necessary paperwork.
Stronger Protections for Low-Income Households
No Deposits for Low-Income Households
Income-qualified customers will no longer have to pay a deposit to access energy services. In the past, utilities would require customers with low credit ratings to pay an upfront cost before getting service. This practice unfairly impacted low-income customers who are more likely to have lower credit ratings.
Any qualifying low-income customer who previously paid a deposit will also be eligible for a refund. Utilities will pay these refunds either electronically, as a bill credit, or mailed to the last known address.
No Late Fees for Low-Income Customers
Income-qualified customers will no longer have to pay a fee for late payments. Previously, utilities could charge an added amount if a bill was paid late. This new rule allows more flexibility for households that are already struggling to make ends meet.
If a bill is not paid, customers can still be subject to disconnection. Removing these fees also lowers the risk of a household building up larger and larger unpaid amounts with late charges. If a customer already cannot pay a bill, adding a late fee could increase the chance of being disconnected. This new protection could help keep some connected to their energy services.
Limited Reconnection Fees for Low-Income Customers
New protections significantly limit utilities’ ability to charge reconnection fees for low-income customers. Now, utilities must waive the fee for the first two electric reconnections in a given year. For gas customers and electric customers without remote reconnection abilities, the utility must waive the first fee.
In the past, if a household was cut off for non-payment, the utility could add another charge to turn service back on. For many, this additional charge could be the barrier to getting reconnected to energy services.
Improving Communications from Utilities
With the new rules, utilities must improve their communications both with customers and regulators.
Multilingual Notices: By offering communications in many languages, utilities can offer more accessible options for Oregon’s diverse communities.
More Notice Before Disconnection: Utilities must now give 20 days’ notice to customers before disconnection. These additional five days could help households receive assistance funds or come up with the money to keep their energy services. Utilities must also attempt to make personal contact with customers before disconnection.
Quarterly Reporting on Disconnections: Utilities now must provide quarterly reports on disconnections to state regulators. This provides more information for evaluating the scope of the issue with customers losing service. These reports will help evaluate new and future policies aiming to keep households connected to energy services.
CUB Will Continue to Advocate for Stronger Consumer Protections
CUB advocates were very involved in the process of creating these new consumer protections. Although we have made good progress, there are many other policies that we would like to see in the future.
Keeping Oregon connected to utilities is our main priority. This goal is what drives our work towards affordable, accessible, reliable, and clean utilities for the people in our state. We will continue to push for innovative solutions to keep our communities safe, healthy, and comfortable by avoiding disconnection. For updates on our work and the latest in Oregon utilities, sign up for the CUB email list!
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08/27/25 | 5 Comments | New Protections Against Energy Shutoffs for Oregon Households