Virginia Code 56-245.1:3: Disconnection suspension for utilities.
A. As used in this section, “utility” means an electric company, a natural gas supplier, or a water supplier or wastewater service provider that is subject to the regulation of the Commission.
Terms Used In Virginia Code 56-245.1:3
- Commission: means the State Corporation Commission. See Virginia Code 56-1
- company: includes all corporations created by acts of the General Assembly of Virginia, or under the general incorporation laws of this Commonwealth, or doing business therein, and shall exclude all municipal corporations, other political subdivisions, and public institutions owned or controlled by the Commonwealth. See Virginia Code 56-1
- regulation: include joint rates, joint charges and joint regulations, respectively. See Virginia Code 56-1
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
B. 1. No electric utility shall disconnect from service any residential customer for the nonpayment of bills or fees (i) when the forecasted temperature low is at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit within the 24 hours following the scheduled disconnection or (ii) when the forecasted temperature is at or above 92 degrees Fahrenheit within the 24 hours following the scheduled disconnection.
2. No gas utility shall disconnect from service any residential customer for nonpayment of bills or fees when the forecasted temperature low is at or below 32 degrees Fahrenheit within the 24 hours following the scheduled disconnection.
3. No water or wastewater utility shall disconnect from service any residential customer when the forecasted temperature is at or above 92 degrees Fahrenheit within the 24 hours following the scheduled disconnection.
4. To ascertain the projected temperature as provided in this subsection, each utility shall refer to the forecasted local temperature provided by the National Weather Service where the customer to be disconnected is located.
C. No utilities shall disconnect from service any residential customer for nonpayment of bills or fees on Fridays, weekends, state holidays, or the day immediately preceding a state holiday.
D. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit utilities from voluntarily suspending scheduled disconnections during other extreme weather events, emergency conditions, or circumstances in which a utility determines such suspension necessary to protect the health and safety of its customers and the reliability of utility service in the Commonwealth. Further, nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit (i) a disconnection required by the conditions of subdivision A 8 of § 56-247.1, (ii) emergency disconnections for health and safety purposes, or (iii) the occurrence of an automatic service suspension associated with prepaid utility service. Any fees or expenses incurred by a utility in complying with the requirements of this section shall be recovered by the utility.