Winter shutoff protections begin Sunday, Nov. 15, in New Jersey and Maine, and Dec. 1 in Pennsylvania and Illinois. In each state, rules bar utilities from cutting off service for unpaid bills during the coldest months. New Jersey’s runs through March 15, Pennsylvania’s and Illinois’s through March 31 and Maine’s through April 15.
The rules are not identical. New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Illinois tie protection to who the customer is or what help the household gets, and Maine’s law is written for residential electric customers in general. Anyone who is behind on a bill should know which rule applies before the first cold snap, because several of them depend on the household speaking up…