Utilities tell committee disconnections have fallen since 2019; co-ops urge targeted assistance over blunt metrics

Multiple utilities and electric cooperatives told the House Energy Digital Infrastructure Committee on Feb. 11 that disconnection activity and assistance programs are complex and improving, and they urged careful policy design for H.753.

Candice Morgan of Green Mountain Power said GMP’s total annual disconnects have fallen from around 10,000 in 2019 to about 8,000 now, and that most disconnected customers are reconnected the same day. "The vast majority of those are reconnected to the same day as well," she said, adding the utility estimates same-day reconnection in the mid- to high‑80 percent range. Morgan attributed the pandemic moratorium and targeted state recovery dollars (roughly $20 million statewide, she said) to temporary shifts in arrearages and disconnect counts.

Morgan walked the committee through the customer-notice timeline governed by statewide Rule 3.300: a bill is issued and due in 27 days, a collection process may begin around day 35 with a disconnect notice, and disconnection becomes eligible around day 50, with additional wintertime protections.

GMP also described its Energy Assistance Program (EAP): a 25 percent monthly bill discount for customers at or below 185 percent of the federal poverty level, income verification done with the Department for Children and Families or via LIHEAP enrollment, and a PUC-approved change allowing up to two arrearage‑forgiveness events while a customer is enrolled. Morgan said the EAP is funded by all GMP customers and costs about $6 million annually; she cited a residential bill line item of about $1.50 per month.

Andrea Cohen of Almon Electric Cooperative said member services teams send approximately 4,000 disconnect notices each month (about 10 percent of accounts) and that fewer than 3 percent of recipients advance to actual disconnection; most who are disconnected reconnect within a day. Andrea emphasized notices are intended as an early outreach tool, listing resources and phone numbers to encourage customers to call and arrange payment plans.

Lewis Porter, general manager of Washington Electric Co‑op, stressed long‑term context: arrearages rose during the October 2020–July 2021 disconnect moratorium, and short snapshots can misrepresent multi‑year trends. "If somebody doesn't pay their electric bill, somebody else pays it instead," Porter said, urging investments in assistance programs (ACRE, weatherization) rather than metrics that could produce unintended consequences for vulnerable members.

The witnesses described common operational details: some utilities charge no fee for remote disconnects/reconnects but may charge for truck dispatches (co-op reconnect fee cited as $20), utilities often avoid nonemergency reconnects on weekends to reduce costs, and monthly and annual disconnection reporting goes to the Public Utility Commission. Several witnesses offered to provide follow-up data on repeat disconnect counts, precise tariff examples, and the number of customers enrolled in assistance programs.

What’s next: the committee will consider H.753 with testimony from utilities and the Department; witnesses recommended retaining flexibility in regulatory metrics and expanding targeted assistance programs to address root causes of arrearages rather than only delaying disconnections.