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Ohio Special Reconnect Order 2026–27 and other winter rules

By Dr. Matthew Crowley

· 14 min read

Checked against: the official prices in each of the 18 states it covers. How we get our prices

In Ohio, the 2026–27 Special Reconnect Order starts October 12, 2026, and runs to April 16, 2027. If your gas or electric service is off, or a shutoff notice is on the way, you can pay $175 to keep it on or get it back, once this winter. There is no income limit. The details are below.

Winter bills are the biggest bills of the year for many homes. If you are behind, or close to it, you are not alone. Every state has rules that can keep the heat on, and programs that can help you pay. After the Ohio section, you'll find the winter rules for the other states Judy covers.

The most important step is the same everywhere: call your utility before the shutoff date, not after. The phone number is on your bill. Ask what payment plans it has. It is much easier to stop a shutoff than to undo one.

If a high price is part of the problem, check what you pay against your utility's standard price: the Ohio Price to Compare by utility, Columbia Gas of Ohio's SCO or the Pennsylvania Price to Compare.

Ohio: the Special Reconnect Order, October 12, 2026, to April 16, 2027

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) issued this year's order on September 30, 2026. Here is what it says, in plain words:

  • Who can use it: "Any residential customer of a PUCO-regulated electric or natural gas utility." That includes AEP Ohio, Ohio Edison, The Illuminating Company, Toledo Edison, Duke Energy Ohio, AES Ohio, Columbia Gas of Ohio, Enbridge Gas Ohio and CenterPoint Energy Ohio.
  • How much: you pay the utility no more than $175, plus a reconnect fee of no more than $36. If the utility's reconnect fee is higher than $36, the rest can go on your next bill.
  • How often: once per winter heating season.
  • Income: there is no income limit.
  • The rest of what you owe: the PUCO says the utility will "set up a payment plan to address any remaining balance on your account after the $175 has been applied."
  • New service: if you are starting new service, you can pay up to $175 instead of the full deposit. The rest of the deposit can go on your next bill.

How to use it: call your utility at the number on your bill and say you want to use the Special Reconnect Order. Ask what payment plans it offers for the rest.

Need help with the $175? If your income is at or below 175% of the federal poverty guidelines, the PUCO says you can apply to the HEAP Winter Crisis Program to pay the $175. Start at energyhelp.ohio.gov (opens a new tab). Low-income homes can also ask about PIPP Plus, which bases the monthly bill on income.

More than 227,000 Ohioans used the order last winter, the PUCO says. For your rights all year, see the Ohio help page. For today's prices from each Ohio utility, see the Ohio page.

The steps that work in every state

  1. Call your utility and ask for a payment plan. Say how much you can pay each month. Write down the date, the name of the person and any confirmation number.
  2. Ask about budget billing. It spreads a year of bills into even monthly amounts, so winter doesn't land all at once. It doesn't lower the total, but it makes it easier to plan.
  3. Ask about heating help. LIHEAP is the federal heating help program, and each state runs its own version with its own name, dates and rules. Your utility can tell you which agency takes applications where you live. Never pay anyone to apply for you.
  4. Ask about a doctor's note. Nearly every state lets a doctor (in some states a nurse or a health official) certify that a shutoff would be dangerous to someone's health. That holds off the shutoff for a time: as short as 10 days in some states, about 3 weeks to 2 months in most. Ask your utility for its form, and set up a payment plan at the same time.
  5. Name someone to get a copy of your notices. Many utilities let you name a relative, friend or agency who gets a copy of your shutoff notices. They aren't responsible for your bill, but they'll know if something goes wrong while there's still time to fix it. If you are helping a parent, this is one of the most useful calls you can make together.

In Texas, and in the Atlanta Gas Light area of Georgia, the bill comes from the company you buy from, not from the wires or gas company. Call the number on that bill.

The winter rules, state by state

Here is the short version for each state. Read the "who it covers" part closely: in many states the winter rule protects only some homes, and only after you tell your utility that you qualify. The full rules are on your state's page: type your ZIP code on the Help page.

  • Connecticut. November 1 to May 1. Covers homes with a "hardship" status: on energy help or other state aid, or income at or below 125% of the poverty level. Ask your utility or Community Action Agency for the status each fall, with proof of income. Then ask about the Matching Payment Program.
  • Georgia. November 15 to March 15, for the companies the Georgia PSC regulates. Covers any home that signs a plan to pay the old balance in equal parts between March 15 and October 15, and keeps paying new bills. Also, during those months, no gas shutoff when the temperature is forecast to stay below 32 degrees for the next 48 hours (24 hours for electric).
  • Illinois. December 1 to March 31 (see the Illinois help page). Covers homes in LIHEAP or PIPP, homes that heat with electricity at the large utilities, and service members and veterans who told the utility. Any day: no shutoff when the forecast for the next 24 hours is 32 degrees or below. Ask for a deferred payment arrangement (down payment of 10% at most). PIPP has been closed to new applicants for lack of money, so ask if it's open again.
  • Indiana. December 1 to March 15. Covers only homes that get, or qualify for, the Energy Assistance Program (EAP), have applied, and gave the utility proof. You still owe the bills. If you can't pay it all, pay a small part (the lesser of $10 or 10% for electric, $25 or 10% for gas) and agree to pay the rest within 3 months. The utility can't shut you off unless you broke a deal like that in the last 12 months.
  • Kentucky. November through March. Covers homes that show the utility a Certificate of Need from the state during the 10-day notice period and agree to a repayment plan. Winter Hardship Reconnection turns service back on with no deposit if you show the Certificate of Need, pay one-third of what you owe ($200 at most), take a weatherization referral and agree to a repayment plan.
  • Maine. November 15 to April 15. Covers every home: the utility must get the PUC's permission before it shuts off heat in winter. Ask for a Special Payment Arrangement (pay less than each bill in winter, no late fees). For old electric bills, ask about the Arrearage Management Program.
  • Maryland. November 1 to March 31. Covers every home: before a shutoff the utility must file a sworn statement with the PSC that it is not a danger to life or health. Any day: no shutoff when the 6 a.m. forecast is 32 degrees or below. Homes that qualify for energy help (MEAP) can join the Utility Service Protection Program: equal monthly payments, and no winter shutoff as long as you keep paying.
  • Massachusetts. November 15 to March 15 by law (the DPU stretched it longer last winter). Covers homes with a financial hardship whose gas or electric runs the heat; tell your utility. Ask about the Arrearage Management Program, which forgives part of the old balance each time you make your monthly payment.
  • Michigan. November 1 to March 31, the Winter Protection Plan. Covers people 65 and older, and low-income homes (at or below 150% of the poverty level, or on state cash help, SSI, SNAP or Medicaid). Contact your utility, show proof, and apply for heating help. Low-income homes pay at least 7% of the yearly bill each month.
  • New Hampshire. November 15 to March 31. Covers every home: no shutoff notice until you owe more than $450 for heat, and people 65 and older need state approval before a shutoff. Homes with a "financial hardship" (on Fuel Assistance or the Electric Assistance Program) can't be shut off while they make good-faith payments. Ask for a winter payment arrangement.
  • New Jersey. November 15 to March 15, the Winter Termination Program. Covers homes on Lifeline, LIHEAP, USF, TANF, SSI, PAAD or General Assistance, and homes that can't pay because of something beyond their control, like a job loss or illness. Tell your utility or sign its form, and set up a 12-month budget plan.
  • New York. November 1 to April 15. Covers every home: before a winter shutoff the utility must check whether it would seriously harm your health or safety. Extra protection if you are 62 or older, blind or disabled; tell the utility. You must be offered a payment agreement you can afford. Emergency line: 1-800-342-3355.
  • Ohio. October 12, 2026, to April 16, 2027, the Special Reconnect Order. Covers every home customer of a PUCO-regulated utility, with no income limit: pay $175 (plus a reconnect fee of up to $36) once per winter. See the Ohio section above.
  • Pennsylvania. December 1 to March 31. Covers homes with income at or below 250% of the poverty level. See the Pennsylvania help page. Homes above that aren't covered, so call early. Ask your utility about its Customer Assistance Program (CAP), budget billing and hardship funds.
  • Rhode Island. November 1 to May 1. Covers every heating customer who owes $500 or less. "Protected status" homes can't be shut off during those months, no matter how much they owe: unemployed, elderly, disabled, on LIHEAP, seriously ill, or a child under 2 plus a hardship. Give the utility written proof, such as your LIHEAP letter. Ask about the Arrearage Forgiveness Payment Plan.
  • Texas. No set dates. For electric: no shutoff on a day when yesterday's high stayed at or below 32 degrees and the forecast keeps it there for the next 24 hours, or on a heat-advisory day. On those days, the company you buy from must give you a deferred payment plan if you ask. Gas rules come from a different agency; see your state page.
  • Virginia. No set dates. No gas or electric shutoff when the low is forecast at or below 32 degrees in the next 24 hours, and never on a Friday, a weekend, a state holiday or the day before one. Ask your utility for a payment plan; a doctor's form can hold a shutoff off for 30 more days.
  • Washington, DC. No set dates. No electric or gas shutoff the day before, or the day of, a forecast of 32 degrees or below (for electric, 95 degrees or above too). Ask for a Deferred Payment Agreement: you pay in installments with no interest or fees.

Dates are the general rule for each state. A few states stretch them in a hard winter, and the rules can change from year to year, so check your state's page before you count on them.

Watch out for shutoff scams

A real shutoff comes with written notices first. A caller who says your power will be cut off within the hour, and wants a gift card, a payment app, a wire transfer or cryptocurrency, is a scammer. Hang up. Then call the number printed on your bill. The Federal Trade Commission explains more in Scammers pretend to be your utility company (opens a new tab).

Lower the bill for the long run

Help programs deal with what you owe. The price you pay matters too. If a supplier sells you electricity or gas at a high price, your winter bills could be higher than they need to be. See My electric bill jumped. Is it a variable rate? to check.

Judy Saves is not part of any state agency or utility. I'll never call you or knock on your door.

The rules in your state

The list above is the short version. Your state's page has the longer one: the utility office that enforces these rules, its phone number and hours, and who to call to complain if a utility won't work with you. Type your ZIP code on the Help page to open it. And whatever your state, two calls get you the real answers:

  • Your utility, at the number on your bill. Ask about payment plans, budget billing, a medical certificate and the winter rules that apply to you.
  • Your state's utility office. It can tell you what the utility must do, and take a complaint if it doesn't.

What to do next

  • Behind on a bill? Call your utility today. Then call the help program for your state.
  • In Ohio? Call your utility about the Special Reconnect Order before April 16, 2027.
  • Check your price. Run the free bill check. Send a photo of your bill, and I'll compare your price with your utility's standard price and the offers listed for your area. It costs nothing.
  • More plain answers are on the Help page.

Sources

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