Attorney General James is reminding consumers of their home utilities rights, including:
- New York state requires utilities to make extra efforts to reach out to households before a shutoff occurs during the cold weather period, from November 1 through April 15.
- Utilities must wait at least 35 days from when notices are past due to pursue termination of service and must provide at least 15 days’ notice before doing so.
- Utilities cannot shut off service to residential consumers during the two-week period that includes Christmas and New Year’s Day.
- Utilities cannot shut off service to households where someone is experiencing a serious impairment to human health, such as a serious illness, physical disability, recent death of a family member, or if there are children in the home, among other conditions.
Attorney General James encourages any New Yorker who experiences an unauthorized shutoff or believes they were taken advantage of to file a complaint online or call 1-800-771-7755.
For additional information on New York’s Energy Affordability Program (EAP) and Home Energy Fair Practices Act, please consult the Department of Public Service’s website.
Read more here.
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