Eligible Customers Would Receive $25 Daily Credits; $250 Reimbursements for Spoiled Food, Medication After Qualifying Emergencies

(New Britain, CT – June 30, 2021) – Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) issued a final decision Wednesday establishing standards and procedures for residential customers to receive credits and other compensation for spoiled food and medicine from the Connecticut Light and Power Company d/b/a Eversource Energy (Eversource) and The United Illuminating Company (UI) after future weather-related emergencies, implementing another key measure included in the last year’s ‘Take Back Our Grid Act (PA 20-5).

Today's decision in Docket No. 20-12-46, effective July 1, 2021, will provide customers with a $25 bill credit for each 24-hour period of time subsequent to 96 consecutive hours of an electricity outage after a major storm or emergency. For example, a residential customer may be eligible for a $25 bill credit after experiencing an outage of 120 hours (5 days), with an incremental $25 bill credit for each additional 24-hour period. Customers experiencing outages for periods of less than a 24-hour period beyond the 96-consecutive-hour timeframe will not receive partial credits under the Act.

The decision also authorizes residential customers to receive $250 in compensation for medication and food that expired or spoiled due to an electricity outage lasting longer than 96 consecutive hours. Customers are required to seek spoilage compensation through filed claims. Also, unlike outage credits that will be applied to the balance of a customer’s account, spoilage compensation will be issued via a check to the eligible residential customer, unless a customer requests a bill credit through the claims process.

In the event customers are eligible for either credit, PURA’s decision requires the electric utilities to provide these credits within two months of the major storm or emergency.

Importantly, however, as directed by PA 20-5, the Authority’s decision also establishes a detailed “waiver” process by which the electric utilities can seek relief from providing customer credits after a storm, for reasons such as line worker safety and conditions on the ground.

Today’s decision implements Sections 10 and 11 of PA 20-5, which was enacted by the General Assembly during a Special Session in September 2020, and signed into law by Governor Ned Lamont on October 2, 2020.

The utility reform bill, which also tasks PURA to investigate and implement the first-of-its-kind performance-based ratemaking framework for electric utilities, among other provisions, was signed into law weeks after Tropical Storm Isaias in August knocked out power to more than 1 million residents and businesses.

• Learn more: PURA answers Frequently Asked Questions regarding residential customer credits and reimbursements for storm-related outages. 

• View PURA's June 30 regular meeting on YouTube

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About the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority:

The Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) is statutorily-charged with regulating the rates and services of Connecticut's investor owned electricity, natural gas, water and telecommunication companies and is the franchising authority for the state’s cable television companies. In the industries that are still wholly regulated, PURA balances the public’s right to safe, adequate and reliable utility service at reasonable rates with the provider’s right to a reasonable return on its investment. PURA also keeps watch over competitive utility services to promote equity among the competitors while customers reap the price and quality benefits of competition and are protected from unfair business practices. Visit PURA’s website at ct.gov/pura.

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