IMPORTANT: EVICTION MORATORIUM
The governor's executive order 171 outlines the details of the eviction ban. The governor's executive order 191 extends the ban through March 31, 2021, and provides further details.
Utilities may begin collecting and enforcing unpaid accounts on September 1, 2020.
Guide for Utility Customers Facing Disconnection or Seeking Bill Payment Assistance
Overview
This guide is intended to help utility customers who have received a disconnection notice from their utility, and/or are seeking financial assistance with paying their utility bills. The guide provides information on the requirements that were placed on utilities as a result of the moratoriums on utility shutoffs that were in place through late Summer 2020. Utilities are required to offer customers extended debt repayment programs to ease the utility bill debt burden that customers may have accrued during the moratorium period, which began in March 2020. As detailed in this document, other protections also apply. If you feel as though your utility is not complying with the requirements detailed in this guide, phone numbers for submitting a complaint are provided.
The “Know Your Rights” section of the guide is organized based on the type of utility and service you receive. If your electric, gas and/or water utility is an “investor-owned” utility (such as Duke Energy, Piedmont Natural Gas, or Aqua NC, for instance), some of your rights, and the requirements placed on those utilities, will differ from the rights and requirements for municipal utilities and rural electric cooperatives. Be sure to read the section of the guide that describes your utility. However, you may receive water service from a municipal utility, which is covered in the second section, and electric service from an investor-owned utility, which is covered in the first section. If you are unsure of which category your utility falls under, or have any other questions, feel free to call or email Rory McIlmoil at (423) 433-9415, or rory@appvoices.org.
Table of Contents
Know Your Rights
- For Customers of Investor-Owned Utilities
- For Customers of Municipally-Owned Electric, Gas and/or Water Utilities, or Electric Cooperatives