New Jersey bars utilities from shutting off service to eligible customers from November 15 through March 15 under its Winter Termination Program. Households that receive Universal Service Fund help, which pays monthly credits of $20 to $200 on electric and gas bills, are among those protected. About 283,738 gas, electric, sewer and water customers were covered during the 2024-2025 winter, the Board of Public Utilities said.
Who the November 15 to March 15 shield covers
Orange and Rockland’s New Jersey customer page lists the protected groups: residential electric and gas customers who receive benefits from Lifeline, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or General Assistance, Supplemental Security Income, the Pharmaceutical Assistance to the Aged and Disabled program (PAAD) or the Universal Service Fund (USF).
Customers outside those programs can qualify too. The utility page says people unable to pay because of circumstances beyond their control are covered. The BPU’s list of examples runs to unemployment, illness, medical expenses and the recent death of an immediate family member.
The BPU said the program covers electric, gas, water and sewer service for qualifying residential customers. Governor Phil Murphy extended shutoff protections to water and sewer customers in 2021, the release notes. The enrollment route for water and sewer customers of a local authority, municipal utility or rural electric cooperative is the self-certification form.
Eligible households are the ones who have to act. The BPU said enrolling means contacting the utility directly, either verbally or with a self-certification form, and documentation may be requested. The utility page says protected customers must contact their utility to prevent a shutoff.
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The shield does not cancel what is owed. In its November 14, 2025 announcement, the BPU said customers remain responsible for their accumulated utility bills and urged good-faith payments based on ability to pay. Orange and Rockland says customers who can pay but refuse get a shutoff notice and are referred to the BPU.
Orange and Rockland adds two conditions. Eligible customers must start a Budget Plan, and LIHEAP recipients must transfer their benefits to their major heat supplier. The Rockland Electric Company line for electric customers is 1-877-434-4100, and the BPU can be reached at 1-800-624-0241.
South Jersey Gas describes the same structure in its fact sheet. A customer must be “actively enrolled and on a deferred payment arrangement” and receive help from LIHEAP, Lifeline, PAAD, SSI, USF, Work First New Jersey General Assistance or Work First New Jersey TANF. The company says the protection period “may be extended in cold weather.”
What Universal Service Fund credits pay
The BPU puts Universal Service Fund credits at $20 to $200 a month on electric and gas bills, for households at or below 60% of state median income. The BPU said the credits apply to electric and gas bills only. Applications run through the state’s DCAid portal or by phone at 1-800-510-3102.
LIHEAP uses the same 60% threshold and works first come, first served. The BPU said the season runs October 1 through June 30, or while funds last. A household that waits for a shutoff notice before applying competes for whatever funding remains.
SHARES covers a different group. The BPU said it helps low- and moderate-income customers with overdue utility balances, and moderate-income households and people seeking water assistance should contact it at 866-657-4273. That line serves households that miss the 60% cutoff for USF and LIHEAP.
Older residents have two programs of their own in the protected list. PAAD is the drug-cost program for seniors and people with disabilities. South Jersey Gas lists a Lifeline number, 1-800-792-9745, reserved for senior citizens and Social Security Disability recipients.
BPU President Christine Guhl-Sadovy said last November that “no New Jerseyan has to choose between paying their utility bills and meeting other essential needs.” She called the program “a model among state utility protection initiatives.” Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Jacquelyn A. Suarez said the state has resources to help residents keep their homes warm.
What happens when March 15 passes
South Jersey Gas warns that falling behind on payments can lead to a shutoff after March 15, or later if the program is extended. A customer who stops paying in the winter is exposed on the first day the window closes.
Tenants face an extra step on weatherization. The fact sheet says protected customers may receive free weatherization, such as insulation or weather-stripping, if they qualify, and tenants need a landlord’s signature on a consent form. New Jersey Comfort Partners can be reached at 1-866-378-4345.
Last season ran from November 15, 2025 through March 15, 2026, and the BPU announced it the day before it began. The dates on Orange and Rockland’s customer page match the window the BPU used. Anyone unsure about enrollment can dial 2-1-1 for general assistance information.
The question for eligible households is whether the call to the utility happens before November 15. The shield protects the service, not the balance, and the credits and grants each carry their own application. A household that enrolls in one and skips the others can reach March 15 with a protected meter and a bill that kept growing.
Has the call to the utility been made before November 15?
New Jersey’s shutoff shield covers the service, not the balance, and it needs a call to the utility, a budget plan and good-faith payments. Universal Service Fund and LIHEAP help each take their own application, and a missed step leaves the bill to grow until March 15.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit collects heating, cooling and home-repair help in one place and includes an application log and renewal calendar. Part 5, Utilities and Home Costs, and the worksheets and contacts in Part 8 give a household one list for each application and its renewal date.
Keep every utility-aid application and renewal date straight with the Home-Cost Relief Kit →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
