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Electric Service Disconnections Resume April 15
Posted: Thursday, March 11, 2021
Stoughton Utilities is advising customers who are behind on their bills to promptly pay any delinquent balances, or to contact us to discuss a deferred payment agreement if unable to pay in full. Service disconnections will resume in April, so customers should begin planning now how they will address any unpaid bills.

Wisconsin’s Winter Emergency Period, often referred to as the moratorium on residential service disconnection, ends April 15. Electric and water service disconnections can resume on or after that date. Stoughton Utilities will disconnect all accounts with severely delinquent balances on Wednesday, April 21.

Special extensions are available if anyone in the home is currently infected with COVID-19. Documentation confirming infection will be required to qualify for a special COVID extension.

Unpaid utility bills drive up costs for the whole community due to the fact that any balance that is uncollectable is essentially recovered from the entire customer base through future rates. It is Stoughton Utilities' goal to do whatever we can to collect unpaid bills, while also helping customers avoid service disruptions for nonpayment by working with them to establish a deferred payment agreement. Stoughton Utilities has not pursued any electric service disconnections since October 2019, which has resulted in significant unpaid balances. Though the number of delinquent customers has remained similar to past years, the total dollar amount of delinquent balances has grown substantially.

Contact us to establish a deferred payment agreement Situations can arise, making it difficult for customers to pay their bills...
However, to avoid disconnection, we urge customers to contact us to make the appropriate payment arrangements. If you are behind on your payments, we would like to help you get on a track to bringing your account current by scheduling payments that fall within your budget and schedule. Failure do do so will eventually result in electric service disconnection.

Deferred payment agreements are available to most residential customers to allow you to spread payment of your delinquent balance out over a period of time by making regular installment payments. A down payment will be required when entering into a payment agreement. Please contact us to discuss a personalized agreement that meets your individual financial situation and schedule. Each agreement will be custom tailored to your financial situation, with the down payment, length of term, and size of installment payments determined based on a number of factors, including time since last payment, size of delinquent balance, current income, tenant status, medical conditions, successful completion of past deferred agreements, and other factors.

Stoughton Utilities also offers a Budget Billing plan to help customers better manage their utility charges. When enrolled in budget billing, you pay equal monthly payments based on the estimated consumption, your current arrearages, and the estimated applicable rates for the year. Each January and July the payment amount is adjusted to accommodate seasonal and lifestyle changes. You can enroll in budget billing even if your account is currently delinquent. To find out what your estimated monthly payment will be, or to enroll in budget billing, please login to My Account.

Energy assistance is still availableAssistance is still available...
Various low-income assistance programs are offered to Stoughton Utilities customers. To apply for energy assistance, customers should immediately call 1-866-HEATWIS (432-8947) or click here to apply for Home Energy Plus online. Additional assistance has been made available in 2021 to further help tenants that may be at risk of disconnection or eviction.

Any pending customer deposit requirements will be cancelled or refunded upon income verification and energy assistance approval; please request that your EA representative send us official approval documentation to speed up the process.

Under the standard eligibility requirements, customers at or below 60 percent of the state’s median income may qualify for WHEAP assistance. Standard energy assistance income guidelines for 2023-24 program year are as follows:
Household Size
Three Month Household Income
 
Household Size
Three Month Household Income
1
$8,462.01
 
5
$18,877.26
2
$11,065.74
 
6
$21,480.99
3
$13,669.50
 
7
$21,969.00
4
$16,273.50
 
8
$22,457.25
Special COVID-19 eligibility requirements have been set by the State of Wisconsin, meaning you may qualify for assistance even if you don't appear to qualify under the standard guidelines. Contact the program for details.

Renters may also be eligible for both utility bill and/or rental assistance through the new Wisconsin Emergency Rental Assistance (WERA) program. For more information on this statewide program, or to apply, click here to visit their website, or call 1-833-900-9372.

Customers can review their account balances and make payments online by logging in to My Account. To make payment arrangements or to explore payment options, please contact us.