Four states bar utilities from shutting off service for unpaid bills during the coldest months, and Montana’s protection starts first, on Nov. 1. New Jersey follows on Nov. 15, and Illinois and Indiana start Dec. 1. The rules differ sharply on who is covered, and Indiana’s covers only households that have already applied for energy assistance.
A moratorium does not erase a bill. It delays the shutoff, and in most of these states the household has to show it qualifies before the utility is told to hold off.
Four states, four different start dates
Montana’s winter moratorium runs from Nov. 1 to April 1, according to the state Public Service Commission. New Jersey’s protection runs Nov. 15 to March 15. Illinois bars heat shutoffs from Dec. 1 to March 31 under Illinois Commerce Commission rules, and Indiana’s moratorium runs Dec. 1 to March 15…