EEI member companies suspend electricity disconnects during COVID-19 crisis

Amid the ever-spreading COVID-19 pandemic, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) announced on Thursday that its investor-owned electric company members will suspend any electricity shut-offs due to non-payment throughout the country.

According to EEI president Tom Kuhn, this will help reduce potential impacts on some of the nation’s most vulnerable individuals. This could become especially important as unemployment begins to increase nationwide.

“This crisis will create significant financial hardships for many Americans, and we know that now, as always, ensuring access to reliable electricity is essential to the health and safety of all our customers,” Kuhn said. “To help reduce the impact of the crisis on the most vulnerable, EEI members are committed to working collectively with our state public utility commissions to appropriately suspend power shut-offs for non-payment.”

Increasingly, states and cities are directing utilities to maintain connections to ratepayers who may not be able to keep up with bills during the crisis, especially as more Americans are ordered to stay home as a means of halting the spread of the coronavirus. Dozens of utilities have suspended disconnections since the start of the outbreak, according to a survey conducted by the watchdog Energy and Policy Institute, and EEI’s commitment bolsters those figures.

“EEI’s member companies are committed to helping support the communities where we live, work, and serve,” said EEI Chairman Chris Crane, the CEO and president of Exelon. “As providers of critical resources and infrastructure, our industry recognizes our indispensable role in responding to this crisis for as long it takes our communities to recover. We will continue to help customers who may be experiencing health or economic challenges, and this commitment by EEI’s membership ensures that our customers will maintain access to reliable energy during this public health emergency.”

Regulators, lawmakers and consumer groups have lauded the move.

“As we navigate these uncertain times, it is critical that Americans have access to the basics, including electricity,” said U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources Chairman Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Ranking Member Joe Manchin (D-WV). “We commend Edison Electric Institute and its member companies for working to ensure that lights, refrigerators, and heating and cooling systems will remain on as this crisis continues. Suspending electricity disconnects for non-payment demonstrates their commitment to the well-being of their customers, and we encourage all power providers to follow their lead.”

The action taken by investor-owned utilities to help customers during a crisis may also help minimize the number of electric consumers who become victims of utility scams each day.

“While COVID-19 has upended all of our lives, we can now rest easy knowing that no one will be shut off from their electric service during this national health emergency,” said Monica Martinez, executive director of Utilities United Against Scams. “And, if you get a call or email from someone threatening to shut off your electricity, you can rest assured that it is indeed a scam and you should simply hang up or delete the email.”