BERLIN, Connecticut — The state moratorium on service disconnection for residents who were unable to pay their electric bills to Eversource and UI for reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic ends Wednesday.
The moratorium was put in place in the early days of the pandemic when thousands of residents found themselves suddenly unemployed.
For customers who are part of Eversource's payment programs, the moratorium on service disconnections remains in place, the company said.
“The last thing we want to do is disconnect anyone’s service, but the fact is unpaid energy bills increase costs for all customers," Jess Cain, Eversource Vice President of Customer Operations said in a press release. "Any customer, residential or non-residential, who is having trouble paying their bill should contact us immediately so we can work with them and get them enrolled in one of the many programs we offer. Participating in a payment plan or assistance program will prevent you from being disconnected.”
RELATED: Eversource ending moratorium on non-hardship residential service disconnections on September 15
Eversource said they offer a number of programs that thousands of customers use to help pay their bills:
- The Matching Payment Program, for electric or gas heating customers, which offers monthly payments as low as $50. Enrollment for the upcoming heating season begins November 1.
- The New Start program, for electric customers, which forgives overdue balances as on-time monthly budget payments are made.
- Winter Protection, which provides protection from disconnection from November to May.
- Energy Assistance, which provides payments toward a customer’s heating bill.
- The COVID-19 Payment Plan, which all Eversource customers – regardless of financial need, residential and non-residential – are eligible to sign-up for to pay a past-due balance over a period of up to 24 months with no interest charges and no down payment. Enrollment is open through September 30, or when the State of Connecticut’s public health and civil preparedness emergency ends.
Other not-for-profit groups in the state like Operation Fuel, offer programs to help those in need.
RELATED: AG Tong, Office of Consumer Counsel call for investigation of Eversource's marketing tactics
Doug Stewart is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. He can be reached at dstewart@fox61.com.
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