Ohio customers of state-regulated electric and natural gas utilities can get service restored or kept on for no more than $175 plus a reconnection charge capped at $36, under a special order that runs from October 12, 2026, through April 16, 2027. The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio says each residential customer can use it once per winter heating season. It has no income test.
What the PUCO reconnect order requires
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio issued the order on September 30. Under its bulletin to customers, a household pays the utility “no more than $175 plus any applicable reconnection charge.” The charge itself cannot exceed $36.
If a utility’s reconnection fee is higher than $36, the bulletin says the amount above $36 may be added to the customer’s next monthly bill. The extra does not have to be paid at the counter. The $175 is the cash that has to change hands.
This is a required payment, not a grant. The order lowers the price of getting back on or staying on, but the household still pays the $175 and the capped fee. Anything owed beyond that is handled through a payment plan.
The bulletin says any residential customer can use the order once per winter heating season. A second shutoff in the same season does not get a second discount. Households that use it in November should plan for what happens if a later bill goes unpaid.
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No income limit, which separates it from crisis aid
The order has no income test. A household living on a pension and one living on Social Security alone are treated alike. That is the main difference from Ohio’s winter crisis aid, which is built around income.
The bulletin notes that customers at or below 175 percent of federal income guidelines can apply for the state’s winter crisis program to cover the $175. So the order sets the price, and the crisis program may pay it for households that qualify.
The commission also reports that more than 227,637 Ohioans used the order last winter. The commission’s call center, at (800) 686-7826, answers questions about it.
How to use it before a shutoff or after one
The bulletin tells customers to contact their utility between October 12, 2026, and April 16, 2027. The utility explains the order and sets up a payment plan for any balance left after the $175 is applied. The conversation happens with the utility, not the commission.
Customers opening new service get a related break. They can pay up to $175 instead of the full security deposit, and the balance may be put on the next monthly bill. Someone moving into a new rental this winter should ask for it by name.
The order applies to electric and natural gas utilities regulated by the commission. The bulletin says a list is on the commission’s website. Customers of other kinds of utilities should ask their provider whether the order covers them.
Where the $175 comes from, and what stays owed
Ohio’s Winter Crisis Program runs from November 2, 2026, through March 31, 2027, with help of up to $175 for customers of regulated electric and gas utilities. The reconnect order starts about three weeks earlier, on October 12. A household shut off in late October has to find the $175 before the crisis program opens.
The crisis program’s income limit is 175 percent of federal income guidelines for households of up to seven people. For a one-person household, the 12-month limit is $27,930. Larger households and other fuel types follow different caps.
Applying requires an appointment with a local Energy Assistance Provider or Community Action Agency. Applicants can start online but must finish with the local agency, in person or remotely. Proof of income, recent utility bills, birth dates, Social Security numbers and proof of citizenship or legal residency are on the list of documents.
The two programs fit together. The order caps what the utility can demand, and the crisis program may supply the money. A household above the income line still gets the order, which can turn a larger overdue balance into $175 plus a fee and a payment plan.
The order restores or maintains service. It does not clear what a household owes. The balance left after the $175 goes into a payment plan set with the utility, so monthly payments after reconnection may run higher than before the shutoff.
That cost is easy to miss. A household that pays $175 to get the heat back on may face a plan payment on top of the regular winter bill. Reading the plan terms before agreeing is part of using the order well.
A customer who cannot reach agreement with the utility can call the PUCO Call Center at (800) 686-7826. The commission’s site also links a complaint form and a summary of assistance programs available to residential customers.
Is an Ohio shutoff notice already on the counter?
The $175 order can be used only once per heating season, and the payment plan that follows adds a new line to a winter bill. A missed detail, like a fee above $36 or a skipped crisis appointment, costs real money in the coldest months.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit includes heating, cooling and home-repair help, set out in Part 5 on utilities and home costs. It also carries an application log and renewal calendar, which keeps the utility call, the appointment and the payment-plan dates in one place.
Get the utility-help section of the home-cost relief kit for a shutoff notice →
More Financial Reading
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- The New $6,000 Senior Deduction and 14 More Tax Moves for Retirees
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
