In an op-ed appearing in The Hill on October 28, 2022, Berneta Haynes explains how new standards from the Department of Energy to phase our inefficient gas furnace models will help ensure homeowners and renters aren’t paying needlessly high bills.
In 2021, the Maryland General Assembly enacted Chapter 637 of the Laws of Maryland (2021), amending Public Utilities Article, Annotated Code of Maryland, § 4-308 (“4-308”). This important consumer protection statute is intended to protect customers with limited incomes from paying more for their essential energy service than had the customers remained on the utilities’…
This resource contains LIHEAP information and application materials. It also includes a link to the most recent Cold Relief brochure which is updated annually and lists where, in each of the state’s 354 cities and towns, one applies for fuel assistance, weatherization services, and heating system repairs/replacements. It also provides the up-to-date income limits for…
NCLC has been actively involved in advocacy for consumers who have been financially harmed by alternative (or competitive) energy supply companies.
Residential utility customer arrearages will likely skyrocket amidst plummeting income and employment loss during the Covid-19 crisis. How big will the problem be? The answer depends on just how many customers will be unable to keep up with payments in the weeks to come. The tables that follow depict disparate home electricity burdens and expenditures,…
The challenges posed by the Covid-19 crisis have heightened the importance of sustained, affordable access to essential home energy service for all households across the nation. Yet, there is currently only limited capacity in the U.S. to gain a clear, data-driven understanding of the number of households that lose access to home energy services and…
Action Is Needed to Ensure Access to Essential Utility Services for All Persons, Regardless of Ability to Pay, During the Public Health Emergency.
Traditionally in the United States, electric and natural gas utility service has been billed on a post-paid basis where a utility company tracks a customer‘s usage during the previous monthly or quarterly period and then mails a bill to the customer based on that usage. The customer is then required to make payment within a…
A research consultant has recently produced several reports promoting utility company reporting of all customer payment behaviors and transactions to the major consumer reporting agencies (CRAs). Proponents of full utility reporting contend that it is required to help “thin file” and “no file” consumers to build credit history and gain access to bank loans and…
Read More about Full Utility Credit Reporting: Risks to Low Income Consumers
This issue brief discusses the risks and harms of full-file utility credit reporting, which urges utility companies to engage in monthly reporting of customer payments, including late payments, to the Big Three credit bureaus. In a time of skyrocketing energy costs, full file utility credit reporting will result in negative information being reported to the…
Read More about Full File Utility Credit Reporting: Potential Harms to Low-Income Consumers
Listing of resources to help Massachusetts consumers.
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