If you're facing an electric or natural gas shutoff or can't afford your bill:
Contact your utility and set up a payment plan.
Everyone in Minnesota has legal protections, but there is no automatic prohibition on shutoffs, even in the winter. You must contact your electricity or natural gas provider and request a payment plan.
Everyone has a legal right to a payment plan that considers their household financial circumstances and any extenuating circumstances. The utility must work one-on-one with each customer to arrange a schedule that will be affordable.
Do not agree to a payment plan if you do not think you will be able to keep it. Once you miss a payment, you may be subject to disconnection.
If you can't reach agreement, contact the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission.
| 651-296-0406 |
| 1-800-657-3782 |
| consumer.puc@state.mn.us |
| Website |
Do not feel pressured to accept a payment plan offered by a utility if you can't afford it. Instead, contact the Consumer Affairs Office at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Their team will mediate between a customer and the utility on payment plans.
The PUC has interpretation services available.
Contact the Citizens Utility Board (CUB) with further questions or for help reducing future energy bills.
| 651-300-4701 |
| 844-646-6282 |
| contact@cubminnesota.org |
| Contact Form |
CUB is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization. They work with everyone in Minnesota, regardless of citizenship/immigration status (despite the organization's name). There is never a charge for CUB's services.
CUB does not typically have interpretation available.
For more information, click here.
Identifying Utility Workers
Reasons a utility worker might show up or ask to enter your home or business:
- At the request of the customer – you, or your landlord if you rent
- To disconnect service after a disconnection notice
- For a safety concern, such as a gas leak called in by a neighbor or to relight appliance pilot lights after gas service was interrupted
- To access a meter located inside a home or business
- To trim trees, locate buried power lines, or restore power or gas service associated with an outage
Utilities are allowed to access a premise if an emergency situation involving imminent danger to life or property appears to exist.
However, utilities have reported scammers impersonating utility workers claiming to investigate leaks or demanding payment to avoid disconnection.
How to identify a utility worker at the door:
Request identification: Ask for identification before letting a worker into your home. Employees, and most contractors, authorized to enter customer property carry identification cards from their utilities. They will often wear uniforms and drive vehicles with the utility logo.
Call the utility to verify the individual’s identity if you have concerns. You can find your local electric utility and its contact information here. If you aren’t sure who provides service at your address, contact your local government office.
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