Wisconsin customers who fall behind on a heating bill are protected from a shutoff for five and a half months starting Nov. 1. The Public Service Commission says the winter moratorium on disconnections runs from Nov. 1 to April 15 every year. The state’s home energy assistance program, WHEAP, has been taking applications since Oct. 1, and the regular heating payment is open to applicants through May 15.
What the winter ban covers
In its March 25, 2026 release, the PSC says the moratorium bars utilities from disconnecting residential heating service for nonpayment. It applies to electric and natural gas customers. The release does not list other heating fuels, so a household that heats with propane or fuel oil would need to ask its supplier what protection exists.
The ban does not erase a bill. The same release warns that customers who are not in a payment arrangement by April 15 may be at risk of disconnection once the moratorium ends. A balance carried through winter comes due in spring.
A household that was already shut off before Nov. 1 is not covered automatically. A news report on last year’s start of the moratorium said customers who were already disconnected have to contact their provider to restore service, and utilities are not required to reconnect until a payment arrangement is made.
For anyone behind on a gas or electric bill in Wisconsin, the question is whether the shutoff protection is enough, or whether the bill itself needs help before April.
A winter ban that ends April 15 leaves the same bill waiting in spring, which is why the May 15 heating-aid window matters. The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit includes heating, cooling and home-repair help, plus an application log and renewal calendar.
Track heating-aid applications with the Home-Cost Relief Kit’s log and calendar →
Payment plans from the utility
The PSC tells customers to call their utility first. Utilities must offer a deferred payment agreement to residential customers who cannot pay an outstanding bill in full, according to the release. Municipal utilities do not have to offer one to tenants, though many do. A deferred payment agreement spreads the balance over scheduled payments instead of demanding it all at once.
The PSC lists the phone numbers for the state’s main utilities: Alliant Energy at 1-800-255-4268, Madison Gas & Electric at 1-800-245-1125, Superior Water, Light & Power at 1-800-227-7957, We Energies at 1-800-842-4565, Wisconsin Public Service at 1-800-450-7260 and Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-4999. If no agreement can be reached, customers can call the PSC at 1-800-225-7729 or file a complaint on its website.
The heating-aid window
WHEAP is run through the state Department of Administration. Its application site says applications submitted during the heating season, Oct. 1 through May 15, are for the one-time regular payment, a payment that covers part of a household’s energy cost. Applications outside the season are considered for other assistance if funds are available.
The online application takes about 45 to 60 minutes, according to the site. It asks for the date of birth of everyone in the home, income from all sources for every adult, the fuel type and the utility’s name and account number from a bill. A landlord’s name and phone number are needed for renters. Paychecks or W-2s, a recent bill and a lease can be uploaded to speed review.
Review may take up to 10 business days, and an incomplete application is denied after 30 days. The Statewide Information Center at 1-866-HEATWIS (432-8947) takes questions about an application, and the site says anyone who has been disconnected or is about to be should call immediately.
The same site lists other help for eligible homeowners: a program that repairs or replaces non-working or unsafe heating systems, a program for leaking water heaters, and weatherization for income-eligible households. The site does not state the income limits for any of them.
Lining up winter bill help in Wisconsin
Three steps cover most households. First, call the utility and ask for a deferred payment agreement before the balance grows. Second, apply for WHEAP at energybenefit.wi.gov or by phone at 1-866-432-8947, since the regular payment is based on an application made during the season. Third, keep track of the paperwork.
A folder with the latest utility bill, proof of income for every adult in the home and the account number saves time on the 45-minute online form. Write down the date each application went in, because incomplete ones are denied after 30 days. A note of when the payment arrangement ends helps, too, since the moratorium stops on April 15.
The PSC and the energy assistance site are the sources for the dates in this story. Anyone whose utility says otherwise about a shutoff between Nov. 1 and April 15 can contact the PSC.
April 15 ends the ban, not the bill
A heating bill left unpaid through winter is due when the moratorium lifts, and an incomplete aid application is denied after 30 days. The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit covers heating, cooling and home-repair help, with an application log and renewal calendar to keep each filing and each date in one place. It runs to 64 pages.
Keep every heating-aid filing in the Home-Cost Relief Kit’s application log →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
