A growing number of households across the United States are facing power shut-offs, particularly during extreme weather conditions, as revealed by a recent report. The report highlights the alarming trend of electric utilities disconnecting customers, a situation exacerbated by climate change-induced heat waves and cold spells.
Shutoffs pose significant risks, especially during extreme temperatures, endangering lives and disrupting essential services like access to communication, medical equipment, and food storage. The nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity’s report identified over 662,000 disconnections by six major utilities between January and September 2024, representing a more than 20 percent increase from the previous year. These utilities, including Georgia Power, DTE Energy, Duke Energy, Ameren Corporation, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Arizona Public Service, collectively serve over 200 million customers nationwide.
Selah Goodson Bell, lead author of the report, emphasized that all shutoffs and their associated harms are preventable through legislative action. He called on states and local governments to implement policies such as comprehensive shutoff bans during extreme weather conditions and to regulate utility rate hikes. Goodson Bell stressed the need for accountability on the part of utility companies to address ongoing energy injustices.
Despite the concerning rise in shutoffs, the lack of comprehensive data impedes a full understanding of the issue, with twenty-two states not mandating utilities to report disconnections. Furthermore, only twenty states and Washington, D.C., have up-to-date data available. By analyzing data from the six major utilities, the report provides crucial insights into the prevalence and impact of shutoffs across the country.
Georgia Power, Duke Energy, DTE Energy, Ameren, Pacific Gas & Electric, and Arizona Public Service have all witnessed a surge in shutoff rates, attributed to factors like inflation, rate hikes, and climate change. The report underscores the utility business model’s shortcomings, which disproportionately affect low-income customers by raising rates and resorting to disconnections. Goodson Bell criticized the utilities for prioritizing profits over customer welfare, highlighting how shareholder dividends could have prevented all shutoffs last year.
Efforts to mitigate the impact of shutoffs have been made through energy assistance programs and flexible payment plans offered by some utilities. However, these measures often fall short of addressing the root causes of the issue. Shutoffs peak during the summer months, prompting some states to enact heat-based bans to protect vulnerable customers. While progress has been made in implementing such bans, challenges persist in ensuring comprehensive protection for all households throughout the year.
To address the shortcomings of existing policies, experts like Sanya Carley from the University of Pennsylvania advocate for broader protections that consider both temperature and date-based restrictions. Such measures could significantly reduce the impact of shutoffs on vulnerable populations and prevent avoidable tragedies. The need for states to adopt comprehensive protections to safeguard customers from the adverse effects of utility disconnections is increasingly urgent in the face of a changing climate and growing energy insecurity.
