Your Utility Service Rights and Responsibilities
How to File a Complaint
Staff of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) Customer Affairs Unit have been trained to assist you in resolving the various types of problems you may experience with a utility company. The most common complaints we receive involve
- termination and reconnection of service,
- service installation and line extensions,
- high bills,
- quality of service,
- meter tests,
- reasonable payment arrangements,
- outages,
- deposits,
- incorrect rates or tariffs,
- and unauthorized switching of utility service from one provider to another.
If you experience a problem with a utility company, please contact the utility company first and give it an opportunity to resolve your problem. If the matter is not resolved to your satisfaction, please call or email us at the PURA. How to file a complaint.
Termination of Utility Service
Utility companies may shut off service if you do not pay your bills, fail to keep a payment plan, or tamper with your meter. State law requires that you be given thirteen days' notice before the shutoff can occur. The notice must be in writing and include the date that service will be shut off and what you must do to get service turned back on.
If you are a residential customer, your service cannot be shut off on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, legal holiday, the day before a legal holiday, or less than an hour before the company's offices close for the day.
If the company determines that a dangerous condition exists, service may be terminated at any time and without prior notice to you.
Medical Emergencies
Connecticut state law mandates that no electric or gas company shall terminate or refuse to reinstate residential electric or gas service where the customer lacks the financial resources to pay his or her entire account and for which customer or member of a customer's household the termination or failure to reinstate service would create a life-threatening situation. Please contact your utility company, or the PURA, for more details or with questions about this law.
Winter Moratorium - Hardship
If you heat with either gas or electricity and apply and qualify for hardship status you will be assured of electric and gas service during the winter moratorium. The winter moratorium runs from November 1 to May 1. The utility company, in all likelihood, will encourage you to enter into a payment plan and to apply for energy assistance. If you qualify, the gas or electric company may match all, or part of any payments made on your account.
Share Your Views About Your Utility Service
PURA's commissioners and staff are interested in improving customer service and hearing from customers about their experiences. If you have an opinion about a utility issue or a particular case, we would like to hear from you. Customers are always welcome to write or call the PURA or appear at our hearings.
Call PURA at our toll-free number (1-800-382-4586) to learn the date, time and location of any hearing that interests you. It usually helps to arrive a few minutes early so that you can sign in to speak. At the beginning of the hearing, the Commissioner or Hearing Officer will ask if customers wish to speak for the record. At that time, simply stand up or raise your hand. You will be sworn in and invited to tell your story in your own words.
If you cannot appear in person, please send your comments in writing to PURA.ExecutiveSecretary@ct.gov. If you know the docket number and title of the case, please include it with your comments.
The PURA is a regulatory agency. Its purpose is to ensure that utility customers receive reliable and safe service at reasonable rates and that utility companies operate efficiently.
Chairman Marissa Paslick Gillett
Vice-Chairperson John W. Betkoski III
Commissioner Michael Caron
Content last updated April 2024