NCLC Guide to the Rights of Utility Consumers (2006)
220 pages. ISBN 1-931697-87-6. $15.
In bookstores nationwide or call (617) 542-9595.
"This easy to understand guide cuts through complicated rules and provides valuable information to utility consumers and front-line staff working with families in crisis." -- Vickie Allen-Beeson, Support and Development Manager, Indiana Community Action Association
"An essential book that will empower utility consumers and their advocates to solve their utility problems."
-- Dr. Meg Power, President & Executive Director, Economic Opportunity Studies
Americans have seen their utility costs soar 50 to 100 percent or even more in the past five years. Many need to know their options to continue to heat and power their homes beyond just lowering the thermostat. This handbook details what consumers need to know about their electric, gas, and other utility services: shut-off protections, rights to restore terminated service, bill payment options, weatherization tips, rights to government assistance and much more.
The NCLC Guide to the Rights of Utility Consumers provides useful advice on:
Deposit requirements and use of credit reports by utilities
Bills owed by others or from prior addresses
Long-term strategies for bill reduction
Applying for the Low-Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and other seasonal crisis funds
Disputing bills
Specific protections against termination
Rights related to heating oil, propane, and other deliverable fuels
A brief primer on telephone service and water utilities.
This handbook is written by two of the nation's legal experts on low-income energy and utility issues and NCLC staff attorneys, Charles Harak and Olivia Bae Wein.
and NCLC