Are you talking about it being turned off by your landlord, or by the utility company? Either, way, the answer is no, it can’t be shut off in the winter months in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin, unlike some other states, has a moratorium that means that the utility companies cannot cut off your energy between November 1 and April 15, though disconnection notices recently went out to 30,000 customers because they failed to pay anything during this time.
Wisconsin does actually have energy assistance for low-income families, but demand always exceeds supply. To avoid disconnection, it is vital that you pay something towards your bill throughout the winter. By paying nothing, all you will succeed in doing is to put yourself at the top of the list for disconnection at the end of the moratorium period. It will then be even more difficult to reach some kind of repayment plan because it will appear that you have been unwilling to try for all of those months previously.
You can arrange to go onto a budget plan that will average out your payments throughout the year, so that you will pay the same in the more expensive months as you do throughout the rest of the year. This will ensure that your credit rating is not adversely affected.
If you are having genuine problems in paying your bill then talk to the utility company; they may be able to suggest a way forward. If you ignore the problem, not only will it not go away, but there’s a very good chance that you will get disconnected.
Utility companies always have staff dedicated to trying to work these kinds of problems out, but if you cannot reach an agreement you can contact the Public Service Commission Consumer Affairs division at 1-800-225-7729, for their advice.
Wisconsin, unlike some other states, has a moratorium that means that the utility companies cannot cut off your energy between November 1 and April 15, though disconnection notices recently went out to 30,000 customers because they failed to pay anything during this time.
Wisconsin does actually have energy assistance for low-income families, but demand always exceeds supply. To avoid disconnection, it is vital that you pay something towards your bill throughout the winter. By paying nothing, all you will succeed in doing is to put yourself at the top of the list for disconnection at the end of the moratorium period. It will then be even more difficult to reach some kind of repayment plan because it will appear that you have been unwilling to try for all of those months previously.
You can arrange to go onto a budget plan that will average out your payments throughout the year, so that you will pay the same in the more expensive months as you do throughout the rest of the year. This will ensure that your credit rating is not adversely affected.
If you are having genuine problems in paying your bill then talk to the utility company; they may be able to suggest a way forward. If you ignore the problem, not only will it not go away, but there’s a very good chance that you will get disconnected.
Utility companies always have staff dedicated to trying to work these kinds of problems out, but if you cannot reach an agreement you can contact the Public Service Commission Consumer Affairs division at 1-800-225-7729, for their advice.
