Online event

Heat-related disconnection moratoriums: Critical review and policy recommendations

In the summer of 2023, the City of Phoenix experienced 54 days of extreme heat – over 110 degrees. SRP began the process of reviewing its moratorium policy and practices to determine if a policy change was necessary. This process involved stakeholder interivews, customer surveys, and more.
May 9, 2024 | 8:00 am-9:00 am EDT

NOTE: This event has already taken place. See below for recording and event description.

Download the slides | Heat-related disconnection moratoriums: Critical review and policy recommendations (PDF)

In the summer of 2023, Phoenix experienced 54 days of extreme heat—that is, temperatures over 110° Fahrenheit. The local utility, SRP, sustained its heat-related utility service disconnection moratorium policy for longer than it ever had. According to its policy, customer bills continued to generate and were due according to SRP’s standard terms. SRP provided broad payment arrangements for postpay and prepay customers, but customers continued to struggle to repay balances accumulated over the summer. Customers and agency partners struggled to meet the inflationary challenges of paying off high summer bills.

In anticipation of future summers that could have similar heat events or worse, SRP began the process of reviewing its moratorium policy and practices to determine if a permanent shift was necessary. The utility hired E Source to lead the effort. In this webinar, we’ll review the process, which involved stakeholder interviews, customer surveys, and financial, operational, and workforce impacts analyses. And we’ll provide an overview of the policy SRP plans to adopt.

You’ll learn:

  • What prompted SRP to examine its moratorium policy
  • E Source’s research, findings, and recommendations
  • The policy direction SRP is taking and considerations for your own policy

Speakers:

Ben Nathan, Director, Affordability and Equity, E Source

Zack Thompson, Manager, Residential Contact Center, SRP

Who should attend:

Members of the E Source Low Income Energy Issues Forum, Equity in the Clean Energy Economy, and Customer Experience Strategy Service who are interested in assessing their weather-related moratoriums and learning how these policies intersect with customer needs.

Interested in this event but can’t attend? Register anyway and we’ll notify you when the presentation and recording are ready for on-demand viewing. Questions about this event? Send us a message.

Ben Nathan