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Utilities tell Senate committee they already avoid heat‑day disconnects and warn against prescriptive rules
Summary
Representatives from Vermont Electric Cooperative, Vermont Public Power and other utilities told the Senate committee that they already avoid disconnecting customers during extreme‑heat advisories and prefer voluntary practices rather than new, prescriptive rulemaking, which they said risks cost‑shifting and administrative burdens.
Utility leaders told the Senate committee that they generally avoid disconnecting customers, have payment‑plan and outreach practices in place, and prefer voluntary coordination with the Department of Public Service and the Public Utility Commission (PUC) over new, prescriptive statutory rules.
Andrea Cohen of Vermont Electric Cooperative said the co‑op "does not like to disconnect power" and described VEC's outreach and payment arrangement practices: the cooperative manages about 850 payment arrangements a month and reports that roughly 90% of arrangements prevent a disconnection. She told the committee VEC will not disconnect when a National Weather Service heat advisory covers its service territory and urged lawmakers to keep any statutory language simple so rulemaking does not add costs or complexity.
Ken Nolan, general manager of the Vermont Public Power Supply Authority, and Lewis Porter of Washington Electric Co‑op echoed that view, saying municipal and public utilities generally suspend disconnections during official advisories and that codifying more prescriptive no‑disconnect rules can have unintended consequences. Nolan described an example where a customer running a business from a residential meter accumulated a large commercial bill while receiving repeated doctor's‑note protections under current rules, leaving the utility with a substantial unpaid balance.
Representatives of Green Mountain Power described an energy assistance program funded by a line item on customer bills that provides a discount and allows for arrearage forgiveness for eligible customers; GMP noted the program helps reduce collections and protects other customers from cost shifts. GMP also said it follows PUC guidance and voluntarily pauses disconnections during heat advisories.
Witnesses recommended that, if lawmakers act, the language be narrowly focused on extreme‑heat events and avoid opening broad rulemaking that could require complex new administrative processes. Committee members said they may request a report from the PUC tracking disconnect trends and could consider house bills on the subject before taking legislative action.
