Ohio’s winter reconnect order is back for another heating season, and last year’s numbers show how many households leaned on it. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio says more than 227,637 Ohioans used the Special Reconnect Order last winter, and the agency has renewed it for Oct. 12, 2026 through April 16, 2027.
Under the order, a customer of a PUCO-regulated electric or natural gas utility can restore service, keep it on or start new service by paying no more than $175 plus any applicable reconnection charge, according to the PUCO’s Sept. 30 announcement. There is no income eligibility requirement, so a household does not have to prove it is low income to use it…