Wisconsin’s winter moratorium on utility disconnections starts Sunday, November 1, and runs through April 15. While it is in force, utilities cannot cut off residential heating service for nonpayment, and they must offer deferred payment agreements to residential customers who cannot pay an outstanding bill in full. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, the state utility regulator, laid out the rule in its March 25 release.
What the November 1 to April 15 rule stops
The moratorium is a state rule that applies to residential heating service. The PSC says it prohibits utilities from disconnecting that service because a customer has not paid. The release is aimed at electric and natural gas customers who carry outstanding bills.
The protection is a pause, not forgiveness. The March release warned that customers who had not set up payment arrangements by April 15, 2026 could face disconnection once the moratorium lapsed. The bill is still owed when the window closes, and the next lapse falls on April 15, 2027.
Anyone behind on a heating bill, or close to it, is the customer the rule speaks to. The first step the commission points to is a call to the utility to ask for a payment agreement before the cold sets in. The commission lists a number for each of six utilities.
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The PSC lists these lines: Alliant Energy at 1-800-255-4268, Madison Gas and Electric at 1-800-245-1125, Superior Water, Light and Power at 1-800-227-7957, We Energies at 1-800-842-4565, Wisconsin Public Service at 1-800-450-7260 and Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-4999. Each company handles its own agreements, so the call goes to the utility that sends the bill.
The rule applies only inside its dates. A household that is behind on a bill in late October has no moratorium yet to rely on, since protection begins November 1. The nine days before that date are the stretch with the least cover.
Deferred payment agreements, and the tenant exception
A deferred payment agreement spreads an overdue balance over a schedule, so the customer pays down what is owed while keeping service. The PSC says utilities must offer one to residential customers who cannot pay an outstanding bill in full. The terms are set between the customer and the utility.
Renters face a carve-out. The PSC says municipal utilities are not required to offer deferred payment agreements to tenants, though many do. A tenant whose heat is billed by a city-owned utility should ask directly rather than assume an agreement will be offered.
When a utility and a customer cannot agree, the commission takes the dispute. Customers can call the PSC at 1-800-225-7729 or file a complaint on its website, according to its consumer bulletin. The commission also points to its Utility Customer Bill of Rights, which covers disconnections and collections.
An agreement signed this fall sets monthly amounts that keep running after the moratorium lapses on April 15. A missed payment in the spring then carries no winter shield. Households that sign are choosing a schedule they will have to keep when the protection is gone.
Where the money for heating bills comes from
The moratorium keeps the heat on but does not pay the bill. For that, the PSC points to the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program, known as WHEAP, which the Department of Administration runs as part of Home Energy Plus. It covers emergency energy needs, emergency furnace repairs, conservation services and weatherization for low-income households.
The state’s energy benefit site describes regular energy assistance as a once-a-year benefit available between October 1 and May 15. Applications go through that site or by phone at 1-866-432-8947, the HEATWIS line the PSC lists. The window is already open, so a household behind on a bill can apply before the moratorium begins.
Timing matters because online applications can take up to 10 business days to process, the site says. Applicants need the date of birth and income from all sources for each household member, along with fuel types, utility names and account numbers. Renters also need the landlord’s or property manager’s name, address and phone number, or the application cannot be processed.
Households already cut off, or about to be, have a separate line. The site says anyone who is disconnected, without heat or facing disconnection should call the Customer Care Center at 1-800-506-5596. That emergency route works separately from the payment agreement and from the moratorium.
The energy benefit site does not list income limits or benefit amounts on its main page. It directs applicants with those questions to the same Customer Care Center number, 1-800-506-5596. A household unsure whether it fits the low-income test can ask before filling out the online form.
The water side has less help this year. The site says the Low Income Household Water Assistance Program is out of funding and not accepting applications. Customers with an earlier application can call 1-833-426-9472.
The open question is April. The moratorium ends on a fixed date, the assistance benefit is capped at once a year, and an agreement keeps its payments going. Households that enter winter behind on a bill are deciding now how they will pay in the spring.
Behind on a heating bill before November 1?
The moratorium pauses disconnections but leaves the balance, and it ends April 15. Energy assistance is a once-a-year benefit that can take up to 10 business days to process, so a late application leaves a gap between a shutoff notice and any help.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit puts heating, cooling and home-repair help in one place, with an application log and renewal calendar for tracking what was filed and when. Its Part 5, Utilities and Home Costs, covers help with heat and power bills alongside the property-tax and repair programs that sit in the same budget.
Log heating-bill help and renewal dates in 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.
