5 Winter Disconnection Rules Illinoisans Should Know Before December 1

When the forecast drops to 32 degrees or lower, many Illinois utilities can’t shut off your gas or electric for a late bill.

But those protections don’t cover all residents, and some depend on what you do first.

Here are the winter disconnection rules Illinoisans should know before Dec. 1.

Note: This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Utility rules and deadlines are subject to change, so confirm the current details with the ICC or your utility.

1. Payment Plan Offer

Under the ICC’s winter weather rule, your gas or electric company has to offer a payment plan before it can shut off your heat for an unpaid bill.

That protection covers December through March.

It applies to residential customers who used gas or electricity as their primary heat the winter before.

The utility has to offer you a deferred payment agreement (DPA), and the down payment can’t top 10%.

It has to give you contact information for public and private aid agencies.

Only after you turn down the DPA, and only once it has met every notice requirement, can the utility move toward a shutoff.

Customers on the ICC’s protected list, covered below, can’t be disconnected for unpaid bills.

Outside this rule, a standard payment plan asks for 25% of the past-due amount up front.

The winter version gives you at least four months to pay the rest.

If you have a past-due balance, call your utility and ask to enroll in a DPA.

2. 32-Degree Forecast

When the forecast for your utility’s area shows 32 degrees or lower, winter disconnection rules protect residential customers from a shutoff.

Your utility has to rely on a National Weather Service forecast for the next 24 hours.

The protection extends to the day before a weekend or holiday when the forecast calls for freezing weather during it.

On warmer winter days, the payment plan steps still apply before a shutoff.

3. Protected Customer List

Certain customers are protected from winter shutoffs for falling behind on bills.

The ICC’s list names participants in the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and the Percentage of Income Payment Plan (PIPP).

The list covers service members, veterans and electric space heating customers of the state’s larger electric utilities.

To get that protection as a service member or veteran, you have to notify your utility.

A state law adds a pause for anyone who applies for LIHEAP or PIPP help.

Utilities with more than 500,000 customers have to protect you from disconnection for 30 days after a local agency tells them you applied.

If you receive assistance, the law adds another 45 days.

If you apply and the agency turns you down, the pause works only once in a program year.

The state’s LIHEAP page says adults 60 and older, households with a disconnect date within seven days and a few other groups could apply starting October 1.

A medical certificate protects a household from a shutoff year-round, winter included.

A doctor or a local board of health can sign a certificate, and it can stop a disconnection for 60 days.

The certificate has to say a shutoff would aggravate an existing medical emergency or create a medical emergency for the patient, who has to live at the home.

You can get another certificate once your balance is current or 12 months have passed since your last certificate began.

If service has already been shut off, you have 14 days after the shutoff to contact the utility and have it restored.

4. Notice Window

Under Illinois winter disconnection rules, your utility has to wait at least six business days after it contacts you before it can shut off your heat.

That contact can come by phone, a visit to your home or first-class mail.

The written disconnection notice has to give the date issued, the effective date, the reason and your options to stop the shutoff.

The utility can't disconnect until at least 10 days after it sends or delivers that notice.

If the utility has a phone number on record, it has to call you at least 48 hours before the scheduled disconnection.

A utility can't disconnect residential service after 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, after noon Friday, on weekends and holidays, or after noon the day before a holiday.

It can still disconnect in those windows if it's ready to take your payment and reconnect you that same day.

5. Reconnection for Less Than You Owe

The state's reconnection rule for the heating season covers former customers whose gas or electric service, used as their primary heat, was cut off for unpaid bills.

You can get service back by paying one-third of the past-due amount, reconnection charge included, and one-third of any deposit.

If you can show you can't afford a third, the rule sets the amount at 20% of each.

Low-income customers qualify automatically.

The rule has conditions, including that a utility doesn't have to reconnect you two years in a row.

The window runs from November 1 to April 1, or from October 1 if you've applied for LIHEAP and show proof.

The ICC tells disconnected customers to ask their utility whether they qualify for reconnection at less than the full amount owed.

Disconnected households should call their county agency directly.

Who Illinois Winter Disconnection Rules Don't Cover

Illinois winter disconnection rules apply to investor-owned utilities, and Illinois Legal Aid Online says they don't cover municipal or cooperative utilities.

If a town-run or member-owned company sends your bill, call it and ask what shutoff policy it follows.

If heat is part of your rent, the Attorney General's office says your landlord has to provide it from October 1 through May 31 once the weather turns cold enough.

Some cities, like Chicago, may have heat ordinances too.

Filing a Complaint

If you believe a utility broke the winter disconnection rules, you can call the ICC's Consumer Services Division at 1-800-524-0795 for guidance or to file a complaint.

You can contact the ICC online too.

Your disconnection notice has to list the Consumer Services Division's contact information.

Have your account number and the dates on your notices ready.

FAQ

Call your utility's customer service line to confirm how these rules apply to your account.

When do Illinois winter disconnection rules start?

They start December 1 and run through March 31.

The ICC's winter weather rule covers residential customers who used gas or electricity as their primary heat the winter before.

It applies to investor-owned gas and electric utilities.

Can a utility shut off my heat in winter in Illinois?

For a residential heating customer who isn't on the ICC's protected list, yes, but only after the utility offers a payment plan.

The plan can't ask for more than 10% down, and the utility has to meet every notice requirement.

Customers on the ICC's protected list, such as LIHEAP participants, can't be disconnected for falling behind.

What temperature stops a utility shutoff in Illinois?

A National Weather Service forecast of 32 degrees or lower for the next 24 hours protects residential customers from disconnection.

The same protection covers the day before a weekend or holiday when freezing weather is forecast.

What can I do if my gas or electric is already shut off?

Contact your utility and ask whether you qualify for reconnection at less than the full amount owed.

If your gas or electric service was your primary heat, the state's heating-season rule may let you reconnect for one-third of the past-due amount and one-third of any deposit.

If you can show you can't afford a third, the amount drops to 20% of each, and low-income customers qualify automatically.

How do I apply for LIHEAP in Illinois?