Shutoff Protection Plan
The Shutoff Protection Plan establishes a monthly payment amount encompassing a portion of your total account balance plus an average of your energy charges over the last 12 months. This helps pay off your past-due balance while paying your current energy bill.
For example, let’s say your total account balance was $600 on a recent bill statement. We divide that amount by 12 (the number of months in the length of the program) to determine your monthly payment. In this example, $600 ÷ 12 = $50.00 a month would go towards your account balance.
Then, we would calculate your average energy consumption over the last 12 months to estimate your upcoming monthly bill. For example, if this average equates to approximately $250.00, then your new monthly Shutoff Protection Plan amount would be calculated as follows:
| Account Balance | Average Energy Charges | Monthly Plan Amount |
| $50.00 | $250.00 | $300.00 |
Primary account holders who fall at or under 200% of the Federal Poverty Level or who are senior citizens, age 65* and older, are eligible to enroll for SPP.
* Customers age 62 prior to October 31, 2023 will remain eligible for protection.
If you miss one payment while on SPP, you are unenrolled from the plan.
Eligible customers can enroll in the Shutoff Protection Plan at any time throughout the year for the next 12 months.
No, SPP enrollment only applies to your primary residence.
Yes, if you qualify for SER, your energy assistance monies will either go towards the down payment required to enroll in SPP or will be used to reduce your overall account balance to make the SPP monthly amount more affordable.
Customers must meet the Federal Poverty Guidelines, which are updated yearly. Upon review of the guidelines, if the household income and members are in the range, documents must be submitted to our Document Submission Portal for low-income verification.
Yes, customers enrolled in the Shutoff Protection Plan are still eligible to file a HHC with the state. Customers must have an active heating account at the time of filing.
Yes, each month you are required to pay the HPP monthly plan amount in addition to the SPP amount. If you have HPP arrears at the time of enrolling in SPP, the arrears should be paid in full to prevent defaulting from HPP.
Yes, at the time of enrollment, make sure your account has an up-to-date email address. Every month you will receive an SPP email reminder.