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.

In New Jersey, the state Department of Community Affairs says its Winter Termination Program blocks shutoffs from Nov. 15 through March 15 for eligible customers of a local authority, municipal utility or rural electric cooperative. The customer has to show eligibility when a utility moves to disconnect. Households on the list, or in hardship, should have the proof ready now.

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New Jersey: who is covered and what the utility must do

The New Jersey program covers residential electric, sewer and water service from those local providers. Eligible households include people who receive the Home Energy Assistance Program, known as HEAP, or who are certified as eligible under state human services standards. It also covers recipients of TANF, SSI, PAAD, General Assistance, the Universal Service Fund, the Low-income Household Water Assistance Program or the Lifeline Credit Program.

People who take part in another state or local program that helps pay electric, sewer or water bills also count. So do customers who cannot pay because of circumstances beyond their control, such as unemployment, illness, medical expenses, a recent death of an immediate family member or other financial hardship.

The state page says utilities must send notice of the program to all residential customers in the billing cycle before Nov. 15. They cannot ask an eligible customer for a security deposit or a deposit increase. Customers who are behind are referred to DCAid and NJ211. The page covers local authorities and co-ops, so customers of investor-owned electric and gas companies should ask their utility what applies.

Maine: Nov. 15 to April 15 for residential electric customers

Maine’s winter rule is in state law. Title 35-A, section 718 defines the disconnection prohibition period as any time between Nov. 15 and April 15 and applies it to transmission and distribution utilities. The text names no income or hardship test.

During those months, the law says a utility cannot send a notice that sets a disconnection date unless the Public Utilities Commission’s Consumer Assistance and Safety Division has given permission first. Any notice that mentions disconnection must say the utility cannot act without the division’s advance approval, and that the customer will be told of the request and may be heard. A utility that breaks the rule can face a civil penalty of up to $2,500, paid to the affected customer, the statute says.

Pennsylvania and Illinois start Dec. 1

Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission says its winter moratorium protects consumers from termination from Dec. 1 through March 31. If service is already off, the utility must restore it within 24 hours after the customer pays and meets its conditions, or within seven days when street or sidewalk digging is needed. The commission’s 2026 consumer notice lists monthly income of $1,995 for one person at 150% of the federal poverty level and $3,325 at 250%. For two people the figures are $2,705 and $4,508, for three $3,415 and $5,692, and for four $4,125 and $6,875.

The same notice tells customers to keep paying their bills, follow any payment arrangement and tell the utility about any loss of income or work hours. The commission’s consumer line is 1-800-692-7380.

In Illinois, the Commerce Commission’s winter weather rule also runs Dec. 1 through March 31, according to its Dec. 9, 2025 release. Disconnections are limited when the forecast is at or below 32 degrees, and on days before holidays and weekends when freezing weather is expected.

The release says residential customers who used gas or electricity as their main heat the previous winter cannot be cut off for nonpayment unless the utility first offered a deferred payment agreement with a down payment of no more than 10%. It also says customers in the federal energy assistance program LIHEAP, customers in the state’s income-based payment plan and electric space-heating customers cannot be disconnected for falling behind, and the same goes for military personnel and veterans. The rule does not cover disconnections for theft, tampering or safety.

The Commission also points to monthly discounts from Ameren, Nicor, North Shore Gas, Peoples Gas and ComEd for LIHEAP recipients and for customers with income at or below 300% of the federal poverty level. Enrollment is free, and LIHEAP is open regardless of immigration status. Customers who need guidance or want to file a complaint against a utility can call the Commission’s consumer line at 1-800-524-0795.

Behind on the heat bill before Nov. 15 or Dec. 1?

A shutoff rule keeps the lights and heat on, but it does not erase what is owed, so the question turns from the rule to the bill itself. Charges pile up all winter, and in New Jersey the protection depends on showing eligibility when a utility moves to disconnect.

The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit is a 64-page guide for older homeowners. Part 5, Utilities and Home Costs, covers heating, cooling and home-repair help, and the kit includes an application log and renewal calendar so each program’s paperwork and renewal date stay in one place.

Get the home-cost relief kit with heat-and-power-bill help and a renewal calendar →

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