In Louisiana, Can Your Power Be Cut Off During Cold Weather?

You could be in New Orleans French Quarter, at the casinos in Lake Charles, Shreveport, or Baton Rouge, or maybe you could just be sitting at your camp in rural Vermilion Parish, it doesn't matter where you are in Louisiana, nobody likes it when their power goes out.

In most cases, power outages in Louisiana are caused by extreme weather. We almost expect the "lights to go out" during tropical weather events, strong thunderstorms, or the occasional spate of winter weather with accumulations of ice and snow. But believe it or not, those big storms or icy conditions are not the most common reason that people lose their power service.

The most common reason for someone like you or me to be sitting in the dark is "we didn't pay the bill".  For many Louisiana families, the choice to pay for power or spend money on food is a monthly conundrum. But what if you find yourself in arrears with your hometown power company and the temperature outside is either extremely cold or in the case of Louisiana summer times, oppressively hot?

In Louisiana Can The Power Company Shut Off Your Power During Extreme Cold?

In cases where temperatures are below freezing in winter or heat advisories have been posted during summer having electrical service becomes less of a "luxury" and more of a life-saving necessity. That leaves utilities in a bit of a pickle. Sure, they need to get paid for their services. But no, they don't need to put Louisiana residents in harm's way because of economic reasons either.

This is where Louisiana's Public Service Commission has stepped in and clarified what utilities can and can't do in regard to service interruptions during times of extreme weather. The law was clarified in 2007 and is known as Docket No. R-29706: Disconnection of Service: Electric and Gas Utilities.

In that ruling by the PSC, the following guidelines for utilities were adopted in regard to the disconnection of service during periods of extreme cold:

Disconnection during extreme weather: An electric or natural gas utility
shall not disconnect service for a residential customer in a parish on a day when the
following extreme weather conditions exist within that parish:

Winter: The previous day’s highest temperature did not exceed 32 degrees
Fahrenheit and the temperature is predicted to remain at or below that
level for the next 24 hours, according to the nearest National Weather
Service (NWS) reports.
Summer: The nearest NWS issues a heat advisory as defined by the
NWS 

Natural gas utilities are not subject to this prohibition unless the customer uses natural gas to cool his or her home. Now we should note that the current cold snap Louisiana is experiencing would not meet the criteria for blocking service interruptions.

What If I Can't Pay My Power Bill?

Communication is always the key in any concerning situation. Every utility that serves Loiusiana customers has some kind of plan in place to help those who are having difficulties covering their bills. In many cases service interruptions can be avoided simply by contacting your power company, explaining your situation, and then setting up a payment plan.

If you are concerned about colder weather and when Louisiana will face its next round of freezing or near-freezing temperatures that will likely come next week, December 11th, 12th, and 13th all have forecast low temperatures that are at or near the freezing mark but the afternoon high temperatures will rise comfortably into the 60s.

Stay warm and be safe with those fireplaces and space heaters.