Norwich Public Utilities hopes to avoid utility shutoffs for customers with back bills
Norwich — Most people are welcoming the arrival of warmer spring weather, but for hundreds of Norwich Public Utilities customers, when the calendar page is turned to May 1, the lights and heat could go out.
The annual winter moratorium on utility service shutoffs for unpaid overdue bills runs from Nov. 1 through April 30, and on May 1, power and natural gas can be shut off. NPU sent out termination warning letters April 17 to many of the nearly 1,400 customers who filed last fall for the winter moratorium protection, Ruth Swift, NPU customer service manager, told the utilities commission Tuesday.
The letters don't necessarily mean service will be shut off automatically, Swift said. NPU staff will continue to work with customers in efforts to set up payment plans to keep utilities on, including offering partial bill forgiveness to qualifying customers.
Once the termination letters are sent, customers must pay at least 20 percent of their bills and enroll in a payment plan to retain service. Although NPU is not regulated by the state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, NPU follows the agency's guideline in allowing customers to retain service with a payment of at least 20 percent of the back bill, Swift said.
Customer service representatives also encourage customers to pay as much as they can on their bills throughout the winter months to keep the back-due balance as low as possible.
“If you start the moratorium Nov. 1, you're not required to make a payment,” she said, “but the bills still accumulate.”
That could make the 20 percent minimal requirement at the end of winter an out-of-reach amount for some customers, she said. And in some cases, bills have been accumulating over multiple winter seasons, easily reaching thousands of dollars.
Initially, on May 1, NPU only will shut off service to customers who have not paid any portion of the back bills or who have not responded to inquiries about the bills, Swift said. Once service is shut off, customers must pay the entire back bill to get it restored.
Norwich Human Services Director Lee Ann Gomes said many struggling families fall behind on utility bills and have difficulty catching up.
Gomes cited the recent United Way ALICE Report, which stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, which showed that 40 percent of people in Norwich are below the survival level that can't afford full monthly costs for the basics of food, housing, basic utilities, health care and transportation.
Gomes commended NPU for being flexible with payment plans and allowing customers two chances to make the required 20 percent payment to avoid shutoff. But Gomes said some families still can't make the payments.
“We know there are people who go the whole summer without utilities,” Gomes said. “We always try to get to people before the shutoff. ... It really becomes a health and safety issue, with families using kerosene heaters, candles and running extension cords next door.”
NPU will work out payment plans and refer clients to fuel assistance programs available directly at the NPU Customer Service Center at 173 N. Main St. in Greeneville. A staff member from Thames Valley Council for Community Action works at the customer service center from September through May, taking applications for fuel assistance from NPU customers.
NPU funds the TVCCA staff person at about $25,000 per year, and since the program's inception, NPU officials estimated about 1,500 city utilities customers have received approximately $1.18 million in assistance.
Also, NPU recently took over the processing of applications for the nonprofit program Operation Fuel from Norwich Human Services. Budget and staffing cuts forced the city agency to discontinue its handling of the program. Swift said NPU has processed eight applications thus far, and has 23 appointments scheduled for additional customers seeking assistance.
Internally, NPU also offers a Matching Payment Program to current natural gas or electric heating customers who already have qualified for the TVCCA fuel assistance program and who have past-due bills.
Through that program, NPU will forgive a portion of the bill equal to an amount paid by the customer, who also must agree to a payment plan. Swift told the commissioners that 281 customers used the matching payment program in the 2016-17 fiscal year and made payments totaling $313,870.
All customers enrolled in payment plans or the moratorium are referred to other city and regional agencies for possible assistance with utilities and other needs, Swift said, including Norwich Human Services, Catholic Charities and United Way. Norwich Human Services has a small grant-funded emergency utilities assistance fund.
NPU customers also can apply for the utility's energy-efficiency program, which includes free LED light bulbs, air draft tests and caulking and draft blockers for exterior doors, Energy Efficiency Manager Jeff Brining said. He said the program, funded through a small energy-efficiency fee on electric bills and through grants totals $250,000 to $300,000 per year.
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