Cold Weather Rule for utility consumers will expire March 31

Kansans who are behind on their electric and natural gas utility bills may be subject to disconnection after March 31.

That’s when this winter’s Cold Weather Rule expires. The rule provides protection to residential customers who cannot fully pay their winter utility bills from Nov. 1 through March 3. The protection ends Thursday.

If services are cut, reconnection may require payments in full, according to a news release issued Monday by the Kansas Corporation Commission.

As part of the arrangement, the rule requires utilities to set up 12-month payment plans for customers who must make an initial payment of 1/12 the amount overdue, 1/12 of the current service and all of any disconnect or reconnection fees plus any deposit owed to the utility. The balance must then be billed in equal payments over the next 11 months in addition to the regular monthly bill.

This story was originally published March 28, 2016 at 3:10 PM with the headline "Cold Weather Rule for utility consumers will expire March 31."