This article provides an update on a case of technical negligence by PECO in 2018 and 2019, when their automated phone service which informs customers of a service shutoff 72-hours ahead of the termination failed to make the call (2018) or gave the wrong termination date (2019). This article...Read more
PA regulators have approved PECO’s plan to implement time-of-use rates for its customers, including both residential and commercial consumers. The hope is that some will shift electricity use to off-peak hours, during which rates of use will be discounted. The system has three price tiers...Read more
SNAP directors are urging those in crisis to apply right away whilst asking those who can cope to wait a little longer before applying. The question here is: is it ethical to ask anyone who needs help (regardless of critical or non-critical status) to wait to apply? Shouldn't it be the...Read more
Duke Energy, Dominion, and Southern Company all plan to trade electricity across state, which would make energy costs lower. This plan would also improve reliance on non-carbon-emitting power sources. The article goes into more details about the way energy is distributed across the United States...Read more
This article provides an update on the state of residential utility arrears in New Jersey, where nearly 600,000 customers owe more than $570 million in back payments. Johnson explains that low income workers/households were hit by pandemic costs and losses particularly hard, but that middle...Read more
This article documents the end of the utility shutoffs suspension in Pennsylvania, which will take place on November 9, 2020.
Utilities have said that the moratorium, which was enacted in March, has not led to an increase in payment plan applications, but has instead led to an...Read more
This artifact is an analysis of utility use by the city of Aspen Colorado and how they became one of the very few US cities to use solely renewable energy. This is important because it shows a successful example of a city in the US where the infrastructure has seamlessly transitioned to...Read more
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 yet another decision in favor of utility users in Pennsylvania, the PUC voted against building a new pipeline that would have taken land away from 200 landowners, including farmers and business owners. The article brings forward several discussions that have made their way into discussions of...Read more
Echoing the topics of discussions in the headlines, this article talks about the impending end of state moratoria. Citing studies like the American Housing Survey, the article discusses disproportionate impacts felt by low-income communities as COVID-19 has compounded their already-precarious...Read more
The article goes in-depth about the history of squatting in the city of Philadelphia and the situations that lead to squatting in cities like Philadelphia with high unemployment, homelessness, transient or intermittent housing, and high percentages of low-income households (Chicago for example...Read more
This piece from the organization Grounded in Philly provides resources and information for those seeking to gain ownership of a vacant lot that is privately owned and how to deal with unpaid debt left behind by the absent owner. After explaining what liens are, the page moves on to explore the...Read more