The Issue
The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected the lives of South Carolinians. Not only are hundreds of thousands of South Carolina residents now or were at some point unemployed, our state’s economy has not permitted workers to work the same hours or at the same jobs as they were prior to the pandemic. People are struggling to stay in their homes, let alone keep the lights on in those homes.
Solutions
We believe shutoffs and late payments should remain suspended until utilities and the S.C. Public Service Commission more fully understands the economic impacts of COVID-19 on utility customers and potential means to address them.
Resources
Office of Regulatory Staff
Public Service Commission Orders
SC Access
NEADA
Center for Biological Diversity
Recent News
‘More uncertainty’: Beaufort Co. residents could lose power as utility restarts disconnections
The Island Packet September 13, 2020
The bills were stacking up for Rebecca Scoon. A single mom in Beaufort, Scoon hadn’t lost her job to COVID-19, but the pandemic still upended her regular expenses this summer.
Commentary: Congress must address the coming utility bill crisis
The Post and Courier September 8, 2020
Like all Americans, it is our hope that with a vaccine or effective treatment, we can get the coronavirus pandemic under control in 2021 and return to normalcy.
Utilities response to the pandemic — heads - shareholders win; tails - consumers lose
Utility Dive August 24, 2020
Knowing that the loss of jobs would make it almost impossible for residential and small business customers to pay their utility bills, governors around the country attempted to protect consumers from utility shut-offs by issuing executive orders pausing disconnections and ordering reconnections.
3 ways utilities can help low-income families impacted by COVID-19
Utility Dive August 24, 2020
COVID-19 is having a devastating impact on low-income households. Living paycheck to paycheck, millions of Americans already faced uncertainty.
Duke Energy wants SC customers to eventually pay for fees it waived during pandemic
The Post and Courier August 19, 2020
Duke Energy, which supplies power to the Pee Dee and the Upstate, is signaling that it could ask customers to pay for the late fees it waived due to the coronavirus pandemic.
New York's Heat-Vulnerable Neighborhoods Need to Go Green to Cool Off
Inside Climate News August 18, 2020
The city sees itself as a climate leader, but organizers in those communities say its response to the ravages of climate change has been far from adequate.
Dominion’s past-due power bills from pandemic hit $116 million
Energy Central August 17, 2020
Dominion Energy customers’ unpaid electricity bills after a state-ordered moratorium on disconnections totaled $116.6 million as of June 30, the State Corporation reported Friday.
Dominion Energy intends to raise SC utility rates for first time since nuclear fiasco
The State July 13, 2020
As a viral pandemic sweeps the state, Dominion Energy is signaling its intent to raise rates on customers for the first time since acquiring SCE&G, the beleaguered utility that engineered one of the biggest construction failures in South Carolina history.
Duke Energy will lower electric bills this fall, but legal challenge could raise them again
Post and Courier June 31, 2020
Duke Energy will lower customers’ electric bills this coming fall based on fuel costs. Meanwhile, a separate legal challenge that would raise bills is making its way through the court system.
Electricity prices are highest in Hawaii but expenditures are highest in South Carolina
U.S. Energy Information Administration February 13, 2018
Hawaii has the highest residential electricity prices in the United States, averaging 27.5 cents per kilowatthour (kWh) in 2016—more than twice the national average. However, residential customers in four states spent more per household for electricity that year: South Carolina, Alabama, Connecticut, and Maryland. In South Carolina, the average residential electricity customer spent $1,753 for electricity in 2016, about $400 more than the U.S. average and almost twice as much as the average customer in New Mexico.
Dominion, Duke, Santee Cooper among SC utilities halting shutoffs for coronavirus outbreak
The Post and Courier March 13, 2020
Several utilities in South Carolina are giving customers a break if they fall behind on their monthly bills, ensuring any financial distress caused by the novel coronavirus won’t limit people’s access to gas, water and electricity.
‘Getting to the bare bones’: Beaufort Co. families struggle with utility bills during COVID-19
The Island Packet August 2, 2020
Electricity ratepayers in Beaufort County who are reeling from COVID-19's economic fallout could be in for a rough September.
Coalition of Over 500 Faith Leaders Demand Utility Shutoff Moratorium During Pandemic
Common Dreams July 30, 2020
Over 500 faith leaders representing different religious backgrounds on Thursday called on Congress to ensure the next legislative coronavirus aid package include a moratorium on utility shutoffs for the duration of the pandemic.
How electricity deepens the South's racial divide
E&E News August 6, 2020
Nationwide protests over racial injustice in recent weeks are stirring a fight against a deep-rooted energy gap in U.S. households.
'Tidal Wave' Of Power Shut-Offs Looms As Nation Grapples With Heat
South Carolina Public Radio July 28, 2020
Wykeisha Howe is trying to be thrifty. When her kids are uncomfortable in the sweltering Atlanta heat, she gives them freeze pops. Instead of cranking up the air conditioner, she uses a fan. Lunch and dinner are cooked at the same time, so the electric stove doesn't have to be turned on twice.
'Tidal Wave' Of Power Shut-Offs Looms As Nation Grapples With Heat
NPR July 28, 2020
Wykeisha Howe is trying to be thrifty. When her kids are uncomfortable in the sweltering Atlanta heat, she gives them freeze pops. Instead of cranking up the air conditioner, she uses a fan. Lunch and dinner are cooked at the same time, so the electric stove doesn't have to be turned on twice.
SC utilities to stop cutting services amid coronavirus fears after McMaster request
The State March 16, 2020
Duke Energy will lower customers’ electric bills this coming fall based on fuel costs. Meanwhile, a separate legal challenge that would raise bills is making its way through the court system.
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