Companies resumed shutoffs in a gradual way once the moratorium lifted. Companies hoped to give customers some leeway to gather funds to pay bills in their entirety or to get on payment plans. However, due to the economic hardships that households continue to experience due to the pandemic, many are unable to keep up with their bills even with assistance or budgeting programs. This continues to be an issue because, even though the shut-off tidal wave is not as significant as previously anticipated, it still puts households in the 100,000 into jeopardy. Additionally, many low-income households often forego utility payments to address other more urgent expenses. Overall, the end of the moratorium brought down the amount of the overall arrearages on companies' accounts. Poor households will likely enter into a vicious debt-cycle given that they were not able to afford bills prior to payment arrangements.
Andrew Maykuth, "Utilities disconnect 116,000 Pa. households after state lifts moratorium on pandemic shutoffs", contributed by Briana Leone, The Energy Rights Project, Platform for Experimental Collaborative Ethnography, last modified 3 August 2021, accessed 30 December 2024. https://energyrights.info/content/utilities-disconnect-116000-pa-households-after-state-lifts-moratorium-pandemic-shutoffs
Critical Commentary
Companies resumed shutoffs in a gradual way once the moratorium lifted. Companies hoped to give customers some leeway to gather funds to pay bills in their entirety or to get on payment plans. However, due to the economic hardships that households continue to experience due to the pandemic, many are unable to keep up with their bills even with assistance or budgeting programs. This continues to be an issue because, even though the shut-off tidal wave is not as significant as previously anticipated, it still puts households in the 100,000 into jeopardy. Additionally, many low-income households often forego utility payments to address other more urgent expenses. Overall, the end of the moratorium brought down the amount of the overall arrearages on companies' accounts. Poor households will likely enter into a vicious debt-cycle given that they were not able to afford bills prior to payment arrangements.