Quote:
Originally Posted by Munchkin03
I thought most utility providers had a special program, or at least some sort of forbearance, for people who were elderly, infirm, or who always needed electricity/running water/etc. Basically, ConEd can't turn off someone's power if they are elderly, have babies, or have an illness that requires electricity. I figured most places would have it as well.
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My guess, and of course I don't know, is that the limiter is supposed to be a way around this. You could get "essential" power, but not more. The issue seems to be that with weather this cold, the heat couldn't work without exceeding the amount of limited power.
Honestly, I don't know how I feel about a blanket policy about not cutting off power. I'd be all about requiring a percentage of profits being set aside for assisting those in need, but what seems to sometimes happen (and I'm thinking Atlanta water company here) is that once some customers learn that the utility won't actually be cut off for non-payment, they basically don't pay again for a really long time if ever. (This is kind of a bad example for this particular thread but this covers some corporate clients who went years late:
http://www.ajc.com/services/content/...rrisbrown.html)
ETA: sure, the number of people who will meet the criteria you outlined is probably pretty limited, but it seems that there's a better way of dealing with the whole issue rather than just saying certain folks are exempt from getting the utilities cut off.
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