Cold Weather Rule in Effect November 1st

The provisions of the Cold Weather Rule (CWR) allow for special payment and disconnection procedures for any qualifying residential member. The rule allows a qualifying member to retain or restore electric service throughout the cold weather period, which extends from November 1 through March 31, and for the development of payment agreements between the cooperative and the member.

The cooperative will not disconnect a member’s service between November 1 and March 31 when the National Weather Service office forecasts the temperature will drop below 35 degrees Fahrenheit or will be in the “mid to low 30’s” within the next 48 hour period IF the member complies with the provisions of the Good Faith Test.

To meet the Good Faith Test requirements, the member must inform the cooperative of their inability to pay the bill in full before the stated date of delinquency. The member and the cooperative may negotiate payment arrangements mutually agreeable, individualized to the member’s situation. Once an agreement has been made and those terms are defaulted on, the agreement becomes null and void and the member’s electric service will be subject to immediate disconnection.

It is the belief of some that once the CWR is in effect, electric bills can be ignored and the cooperative will not disconnect service; this is not true. The cooperative can and will disconnect for non-payment if certain criteria are not met.