YORK, Pa. — Since the start of April, utility companies have been able to shut off customers' services due to unpaid bills. That's because the annual winter utility termination moratorium, which was in effect from December 1st to March 31st, expired at the beginning of the month.
"What we want people to do is to reach out," said Todd Meyers with Met-Ed/FirstEnergy. "We don't want to turn off anybody's electricity. We make our money by selling electricity, not by turning off electricity."
Met-Ed is one of four utility companies in the state owned by FirstEnergy that serves more than 500,000 customers.
Meyers says roughly 10% of the company's customers are behind on their bills, equating to a total of more than $35 million in unpaid services.
"We can negotiate a payment plan where they can take a piece of that and pay it each month that lasts up to five years," he explained.
PA 211 has already fielded calls from hundreds of people who are at risk of losing their utility services.
"We provide as many referrals as we can to other agencies that could potentially help them if they have the funding and resources available to do so," said Alyson Long, the assistant director for PA 211 East.
There are also other assistance programs available for those who are behind on their bill.
One of those is the Low Income Home Energy Assistance program known as LIHEAP.
"This season's cash grants range from $500-$1500," said Lee Gierczynski, the spokesperson for Columbia Gas. "Last season, more than 20,000 Columbia gas customers received LIHEAP grants to help them with their energy costs."
If you are at risk of losing your utility services, officials ask you to call your utility company immediately.