Commission Orders to Keep the Heat

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio issued the state’s Winter Reconnection Order for the 15th consecutive year. The order prohibits Ohio's investor-owned gas, natural gas and electric distribution companies from disconnecting residential consumers from their gas or electric service for non-payment of a bill for the next 60 days. However, the consumer must agree to enroll in one of the commission-ordered payment plans offered by the utility.

During the State of the State address, and in a letter to Public Utilities Commission Chairman Alan Schriber, Governor Bob Taft noted that the majority of Ohioans were paying twice what they did last year to keep themselves warm. The Public Utilities Commission concurred with the governor's concern and unanimously signed the moratorium orders.

There is no income eligibility requirement to use the reconnection order. Participants in the program must also sign up for a plan to help them pay a past-due balance on their utility bill. More than 129,000 Ohioans used this one-time payment plan last winter.

Governor Taft also announced a new one-time energy assistance program, Temporary Heating Assistance for Warmth, which will provide a one-time credit of up to $250 for Ohio families to pay extremely high heating bills this winter. Ohio households earning up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level will be eligible for assistance through the project.