The state’s Cold Weather Rule will end at the close of business Wednesday, and Kansas Corporation Commission Director of Public Affairs Linda Berry is encouraging residents who may be struggling to pay their monthly bills to call their utilities and set up payment plans before the rule ends.
The Cold Weather Rule provides two main protections for customers. Utilities cannot disconnect services if temperatures go below 35 degrees over a 48-hour time period. They also must offer 12-month payment plans to customers who are behind on their bills. This year is a bit different in that the KCC has told utilities to offer payment plans as long as the COVID-19 pandemic was in place.
Customers have expressed a lot of concerns about potential spikes in their upcoming utility bills after brutal cold temperatures in mid-February and record-setting demand that followed. Berry says customers won’t see the full impact of that nearly two-week stretch until the KCC finishes a wide-ranging investigation into that incident, including future protections, utility protections and the potential for price gouging among other concerns. Berry says it’s too early to say when that investigation will be done, given the scope of the process.
