PUBLIC RECORD — UTILITY RIGHTS
Cold-weather protections start today. They are not a blanket shutoff ban.
From November 1 through April 15, New York utilities must make extra efforts to determine whether disconnecting heat-related service could seriously harm someone in the home. Orange & Rockland also publishes two narrower no-disconnect rules. None of these provisions erases a bill or makes every winter shutoff unlawful.
What the state rule requires
- Period: November 1 through April 15.
- Before a heat-related shutoff: the utility must try to reach an adult by phone or in person at least three days before the scheduled shutoff and again on the shutoff day.
- If serious harm may result: the utility must notify the local Department of Social Services and continue service for another 15 business days while the agency investigates.
- Important limit: this is a health-and-safety process, not an automatic winter moratorium for every account.
Orange & Rockland publishes two additional protections
O&R says it will not disconnect residential New York customers on days when the local temperature, including wind chill, is forecast to be 32°F or lower. That is a weather-triggered company rule, not a statement that every day from November through April qualifies.
O&R also says that from November 1 through April 15 it will not disconnect customers enrolled in its CONCERN program when every household member is 62 or older, 18 or younger, or permanently disabled. A household should not assume the account is coded automatically. O&R tells customers who may qualify to contact the company at 877-434-4100, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The general shutoff rules still matter
For nonpayment, the Department of Public Service says a utility generally must send a written Final Termination Notice and wait 15 days before disconnecting service. Residential shutoffs are limited to 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and are barred on specified holidays and related closed-office days. A billing dispute, medical emergency, payment agreement or other HEFPA protection can change what the utility may do.
If heat-related service is in a landlord's name and the landlord does not pay, the State says tenants receive separate notice. During the cold-weather period, that notice must come at least 30 days before a possible heat-related shutoff. Tenants should use the notice's utility and Public Service Commission contacts rather than assume the landlord's nonpayment makes disconnection immediate—or impossible.
If a shutoff notice arrives
Contact O&R promptly, explain any household health or safety risk, ask whether the account qualifies for CONCERN or another special-protection code, and request the payment-arrangement options that apply to the account. Do not send account numbers, medical records or benefit documents to the newsroom.
For questions or a complaint about a New York utility's handling of these protections, use the Department of Public Service complaint route ↗ or call the consumer helpline at 800-342-3377. Regular HEAP opens November 2; Rockland's separate application guide lists the County routes and current program limits.
What changes for a Rockland resident: the cold-weather process is now in effect. A household facing loss of heat-related service has specific contact, health-and-safety and notice protections to invoke, while O&R customers should separately check the 32°F and CONCERN rules that may apply to their account.
Primary records checked November 1, 2026, at 1:52 p.m. EST: New York Department of Public Service, residential HEFPA rights guide ↗ and Winter Preparedness page ↗; and Orange & Rockland, Special Protections During Cold or Hot Weather ↗. The State records establish the November 1–April 15 process, notice and health-and-safety protections. O&R's page establishes its separate 32°F and CONCERN policies. This article does not decide whether a particular shutoff is lawful, whether a household qualifies for a program or what amount remains due.