During the pandemic, most utilities and regulators developed policies that kept customers connected to their utility services. Sometimes payments were simply forgiven. Other times they were simply delayed. Now some of these policies are expiring. Should they be continued? What are the financial consequences for utilities and customers?

These questions and more were the subject of Next Practices Live with Dr. Ted Kury, PURC’s director of energy studies. Ted used his vast experience with PURC, as an energy consultant, and as an industry analyst to describe how to think through your situation and analyze your options.

The stakes for this issue can be quite serious. Some utilities around the world are facing bankruptcy. Others are facing liquidity issues. And if customers struggled to pay bills so far during the pandemic, how can they be expected to make up revenue shortfalls?

Ted and I talked about disconnect moratoriums, how to know when they have served their purposes, and how to work into recovery phases.