Minnesota utilities cannot cut off gas or electric heat between October 1 and April 30 for residential customers who set up a payment plan and keep making payments. The protection is called the Cold Weather Rule, and renters are covered along with homeowners. This year’s season began October 1 and runs through April 30, 2027.
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission says the rule covers electric or natural gas service shut off between October 1 and April 30. The protection is conditional, though: it holds only while the customer keeps the agreed plan.
Renters count, but only with heat on their own account
The Commission says renters qualify when electricity or natural gas is the primary heat source and the utility account is in the renter’s own name.
Oil, propane and wood are not covered at all. The Commission’s page says delivered fuels fall outside the rule, and a household heating with an electric furnace applies through its electric company. All natural gas and electric utilities must offer the rule, and the Commission names municipal utilities and electric cooperatives among the companies customers can contact.
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What the payment plan has to look like
The Commission says a plan can be set up at any point during the season, and that the utility must offer one that is reasonable for the household’s financial circumstances. Customers who cannot meet a payment are told to call the utility right away, because a missed payment can end the protection.
That risk is spelled out. If payments stop, service may be shut off, and the utility does not have to offer another plan until the next Cold Weather Rule season. Households that fall behind on a plan in January have little room left until the following October.
State law puts numbers on the plan. For gas and electric customers, Minnesota Statutes section 216B.096 says payments toward current and past bills may not exceed ten percent of household income for households at or below 50 percent of state median income. Customers can agree to pay more, and can ask for changes if their finances shift.
The same statute bars a deposit or delinquency charge on a customer who has entered a payment agreement or appealed to the Commission. After an accepted agreement, the utility must use reasonable efforts to restore service within 24 hours. Households above the 50 percent line are entitled to an agreement that considers their circumstances.
A shutoff cannot arrive without warning. The Commission says a utility must deliver a notice before disconnecting between October 1 and April 30, and the notice has to include payment plan options, appeal information, a list of energy assistance and weatherization providers, energy-saving tips and a third-party notice form.
Under section 216B.096, disconnection waits at least 10 working days after a notice is mailed, or 7 working days after personal delivery, for an occupied home. Municipal utilities and electric cooperatives follow section 216B.097, which sets a 30-day wait after mailing and generally bars disconnection on Fridays, weekends and holidays. Its protection is tied to household income at or below 50 percent of state median.
The third-party notice form lets another person, such as an adult child, receive copies of shutoff notices. The Commission says that person is not responsible for paying the bills.
If a plan cannot be agreed, the appeal keeps the heat on
A customer and a utility sometimes cannot agree. The Commission says to request an appeal form from the gas or electric company and submit it to the Commission within 10 days of the date on the form. Service stays on during the appeal.
Customers of municipal utilities and electric cooperatives use an inability to pay form instead and send it promptly to the utility. Anyone whose service has already been shut off can ask the utility to set up a plan, and the Commission says the utility will turn the heat back on after a plan is made and kept.
The Commission’s Consumer Affairs Office, reachable at 651-296-0406 or 800-657-3782, handles complaints about disconnections and reconnections and helps people find ways to pay gas and electric bills.
Energy assistance can shrink the bill the plan covers
A payment plan manages a debt but does not shrink it. The state’s Energy Assistance Program can. The state says the deadline to apply for winter 2026-2027 is May 31, 2027, renters and homeowners can both qualify, and a family of four can earn up to $73,969 a year.
The program pays up to $1,400, plus extra support for energy emergencies, according to the state, with initial benefits averaging $500 per household. Payments go straight to the utility or fuel provider. Applications can be made online or on paper through a local provider, and the state’s energy information line is 800-657-3710.
Taken together, the rule works as a sequence. The plan keeps the meter on, the appeal covers a dispute, and assistance can lower what is owed. The step that decides whether a household stays protected through April is the first one: making the plan and not missing a payment.
Behind on a Minnesota heating bill before the first cold snap?
If payments stop on a Cold Weather Rule plan, the utility does not have to offer another until the next season, which means October 2027, and the energy assistance deadline falls on May 31, 2027.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit pulls together heating, cooling and home-repair help for households carrying high utility bills. It also includes an application log and renewal calendar, so each aid application and due date sits in one place through the winter.
Get the heating-help kit with an application log and renewal calendar for the winter →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
