Ten percent is the number at the center of Minnesota’s Cold Weather Rule, and it describes a ceiling on a payment plan rather than a cut to the bill. The rule runs from Oct. 1 to April 30, and the ceiling reaches lower-income households that ask their utility for an agreement.
The Cold Weather Rule’s 10% plan: the news leaves the winter heating bill itself unaddressed, and The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit covers heating, cooling and home-repair help.
Look up heating, cooling and home-repair help beyond the payment plan →
What the 10% ceiling covers
The Cold Weather Rule in Minn. Stat. 216B.096 covers the period “October 1 through April 30 of the following year.” For a household at or below 50% of state median income, the statute says a utility “may not require a customer to pay more than ten percent of the household income toward current and past utility bills.”
Two features of that sentence do the work. The ceiling covers current and past bills together, so a household in arrears makes one monthly payment instead of a bill plus a catch-up charge. And it is computed on household income rather than on the size of the balance. As a hypothetical, a household with $2,400 in monthly income would owe no more than $240 a month toward everything it owes the utility.
The ceiling limits what the utility may require. It does not shrink the bill, and a balance that is large relative to income takes correspondingly longer to clear.
Fifty percent of median income, and a utility page that says sixty
The statute’s dividing line is 50% of state median income. The Minnesota Attorney General’s utility disconnection guide uses the same line, saying that for households below it, utilities “must not disconnect you and must reconnect” when primary heat is affected. Households above the line still have a right to a payment agreement that takes their finances into account, but the 10% ceiling is written for the lower group.
Not every published explanation matches. Minnesota Energy Resources tells customers that those below 60% of state median income are not required to pay more than 10% of household income each month, and that customers eligible for the state’s Low Income Energy Assistance Program automatically qualify for the reduced plan. That description sits above the statute’s 50% figure, so a household near the line has reason to ask its own utility which test it applies.
The call that starts the plan
Protection has to be requested. Minnesota Power’s Cold Weather Rule page tells customers with a shut-off notice to “call Minnesota Power at 218-722-2625 or 800-228-4966 to apply for Cold Weather Rule protection and set up a payment plan,” with plans running through April 30 unless changed by agreement. Minnesota Energy Resources lists 800-889-9508 for the same purpose. A customer of any other utility would look to that company’s own customer line.
The Attorney General’s guide says the utility must send a notice of proposed disconnection and a statement of rights and responsibilities, along with a list of local assistance providers, and must consider the financial resources of the household when setting an arrangement. Utilities cannot disconnect on a Friday, a weekend, a holiday or the day before a holiday, or when their offices are closed. Budget billing is a separate option: the utility averages 12 months of usage and spreads a past-due balance over an agreed period, typically nine months or less.
Service back within 24 hours of a signed agreement
Once a payment agreement is accepted, the statute says the utility must restore service within 24 hours. The same section requires a disconnection notice to state the scheduled date, the amount due and a summary of rights and responsibilities, and it bars deposits and delinquency fees for customers in agreements. Minnesota Power adds that power cut on Oct. 1 can be restored by calling to set up a plan.
For a household that arrives at the first day of the rule already disconnected, the 24-hour clock starts when the agreement is accepted, not when the household first calls.
A plan that must be requested, measured on the household’s own income and kept
None of it is automatic. The household has to apply to its utility, and the 10% ceiling rests on income the utility can verify. The Attorney General’s guide notes that income documentation may be required and that a reasonable timeframe should be allowed to supply it. Because the ceiling is a share of the household’s own income, two neighbors on the same street can end up with very different monthly figures.
The plan then has to be kept. Minnesota Energy Resources says customers signed up must “continue to make required monthly payments to maintain protection,” and Minnesota Power warns that service is “subject to disconnection without further notice” if the agreed payments stop, with a call to renegotiate needed right away. A customer who cannot agree on terms has 10 days to appeal to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission, and service stays on during the appeal, according to Minnesota Power. Households above the income line are not capped at 10% and negotiate a plan instead.
Applying to the utility for Cold Weather Rule protection is free, and so is applying to LIHEAP or the state’s energy assistance program; neither needs paid help. Minnesota Power’s page lists the Minnesota Energy Assistance hotline at 800-657-3710, and the statute remains the controlling text for what a utility may require.
Keeping a payment plan’s paperwork alongside other home-cost filings
A Cold Weather Rule plan leaves a household with a monthly commitment to keep and a request record to hold onto if a dispute arises. The ceiling helps only while the payments continue and the paperwork behind them can be found.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit includes an application log and renewal calendar and explains the 5 kinds of property-tax relief, so a household can record its utility requests beside its other home-cost filing dates.
Open The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit and start an application log →
AI assistance was used to draft this article, which was checked against the Minnesota statute and the utility pages cited.
