Georgia electric customers who have fallen behind on their bills get a cold-weather shield starting November 15. Between that date and March 15, a utility may not shut off residential electric service on a day when the forecast is below freezing, as long as the customer has agreed in writing to a payment plan, the Georgia Public Service Commission says.

The shield is conditional, and the condition is paperwork. A customer with a past-due balance has to agree in writing to pay it off in equal installments and to pay every bill for current service by its due date. Without the signed agreement, the freezing forecast alone does not stop a disconnection.

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What counts as a freezing day?

The commission’s rule uses a specific test. Service cannot be discontinued if the forecasted local temperature is below 32 degrees Fahrenheit for a 24-hour period beginning at 8:00 a.m. That period starts on the date of the proposed disconnection, so the forecast for the day the utility plans to act is the one that counts.

A mild day inside the November 15 to March 15 window is a different matter. On a day without a sub-freezing forecast, the usual disconnection rules apply even to customers with a signed plan in hand.

How does the payment plan work?

The installments do not start right away. According to the PSC, they begin with the first billing period after March 15 and end before October 15. In practice, a customer who signs up this winter spreads the overdue balance across the spring and summer months, and the clock runs out before the next cold season opens.

The same agreement requires that all bills for current service be paid by the due date. A customer who signs the plan but skips new bills gives the utility grounds to proceed, so the current bill is the one to protect first.

When can service still be shut off?

The commission’s page lists the ordinary rules that apply the rest of the time, and several still apply in winter:

• Residential electric service may be disconnected when a bill is not paid within 45 days from the statement date.
• Disconnect notices must be delivered at least five days before the date of disconnection.
• At least two days before the proposed disconnection, the utility must make a good-faith effort to reach the customer personally.
• The disconnection date must be a business day when a utility representative is available to take payment.

The commission also bars disconnection for a customer with a serious illness that the cutoff would aggravate, if the customer gives written notice and a statement from a physician or qualifying facility. That statement must reach the company within 10 days of the initial notice.

Customers who are unsure whether a forecast qualifies can ask the utility directly, since the commission’s rule ties the protection to the forecast for the proposed disconnection date, not to the calendar alone.

Does the rule cover tenants and summer heat?

Tenants in multi-family buildings where the landlord pays the utility have their own protection. The marketer must give them at least five days’ written notice before any disconnection. The commission’s page also describes a separate summer exception: service cannot be cut if, before 8:00 a.m. on the disconnection date, a heat advisory or warning is in effect or forecast for the county.

Both protections sit alongside the winter rule rather than replacing it. For a Georgia household behind on electricity, the most useful date is November 15, and the most useful step is getting the payment plan in writing before the first cold snap arrives, since the commission’s page makes the signed agreement the condition for the winter shield.

Behind on a Georgia electric bill before November 15?

The winter shield protects only customers who have a written plan and keep current bills paid, and a plan that stretches to October 15 is easy to lose track of. A missed detail, such as a skipped current bill, hands the utility its opening.

The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit collects heating, cooling and home-repair help for older homeowners, and it includes an application log and renewal calendar for tracking dates like these. Part 5 covers utilities and home costs, and Part 7 sets out the yearly routine.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.