Overview:

Summary: Governments can ban utility disconnects for nonpayment during heat emergencies. Providing low-income families access to air conditioning and other utilities during high temperatures can save lives.

Implementation: Mandate that utility companies cannot shut-off essential utilities for nonpayment during an extreme heat event.

Considerations for Use: Restrictions should be clearly defined by temperature threshholds. Eligibility can be determined through income requirements, certain medical conditions, or other socioeconomic factors. Shut-off restrictions should be accompanied by community education on ways to conserve energy.

• Policy Levers:
  
  
  MandateMandates are government regulations that require stakeholders to meet standards through building codes, ordinances, zoning policies, or other regulatory tools.
• Trigger Points:
  
  
  No-regrets actions (low cost/low effort but substantial benefit)Interventions that are relatively low-cost and low effort (in terms of requisite dependencies) but have substantial environmental and/or social benefits.
• Intervention Type:
  Planning/Policy
• Sectors:
  Informal Settlements, Public Works

Impact:

• Target Beneficiaries:
  Heat-vulnerable communities, Residents
• Phase of Impact:
  Emergency response and management
• Metrics:
  Number of families participating in program

Case Studies:

• Minnesota Heat Disconnect Restrictions
• Missouri "Hot Weather Rule"

Implementation:

• Intervention Scale:
  City, State/Province
• Authority and Governance:
  City government, State/provincial government
• Implementation Timeline:
  Short-term (1-2 Years)
• Implementation Stakeholders:
  City government, Industry, State/provincial government
• Funding Sources:
  private investment
• Capacity to Act:
  High, Medium

Benefits:

• Cost-Benefit:
  Low
• Public Good:
  Medium
• GHG Reduction:
  N/A
• Co-benefits (Climate/Environmental):
  N/A
• Co-benefits (Social):
  Save on utilities