utilities

What to Do When You Can’t Pay Your Utility Bill

This brief article concisely summarizes available options for people and households in need of bill assistance. Prior to providing information on bill assistance, however, this article goes into an all-familiar step-by-step on how to change our household behaviors to reduce energy expenditure....Read more

Interview Excerpt with Margaret Clark

Margaret: As a homeowner, you got water, taxes, electric, if I need the roof fixed I have to call somebody. You got the whole thing. And I get a water bill every month now. Back in the day, I used to get a water bill once every three months. They'd bill every three months. Not every month like...Read more

Pa. to Lift Last Coronavirus-Induced Moratorium on Utility Shutoffs

As a year from the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic comes to a close, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is deciding to lift the moratorium on disconnection it had put in place to protect the Commonwealth's residents. This decision comes from pressures exerted by the utilities on...Read more

Connecticut needs to make big changes in ‘who does what’ in the electric power industry

Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) Chair Gillet said she is not interested in utilities' excuses in not providing reliable service. Eversource has to deal with electricity service and other services it provides, many calling it a monopoly of services. In a 2018 grid-...Read more

Performance incentive mechanisms can support broad policy goals, RMI finds

Performance Incentive Mechanisms (PIMs) are being considered to nudge utilities' behaviors and have been successful in states like New York and Rhode Island. Hawaii implemented shared savings mechanisms which include solar development and storage. Effective PIMs do require a move away from '...Read more

Essential Utility Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond: A Roadmap to Utility Service as a Human Right

This brief was put together by several non-profit, advocating agencies for human rights. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the new precarious conditions many households have been thrust into, agencies like the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) and The Utility Reform Network (TURN), among...Read more

In Maine, pandemic hasn’t stopped push for a publicly owned electric grid

Maine calls for a publicly-owned utility, Maine Power Delivery Authority, given the unreliable service and high rates from other local utilities. However, there is a lot of uncertainty that surrounds the consumer-owned utility. The proposed amendment also institutes a task force to consider...Read more

Utilities near end of Tropical Storm Isaias outage woes

This article talks about the repercussions of the storm as it hit Massachusetts. Although outages were felt across the East coast, Massachusetts had not witnessed as many outages as Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York, which were among the worst hit. That said, companies like Eversource...Read more

“Deflect, Delay, Defer”: Decade of Pacific Gas & Electric Wildfire Safety Pushback Preceded Disasters

The fires ravaging through California began as an electrical output started from PG&E, who stated they would take all necessary action to improve their equipment in other to avoid future outbreaks. However, their statement does not account for the past fires caused by faulty wiring and...Read more

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