The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has unanimously voted to lower the temperature threshold for utility shutoffs due to unpaid bills, a move aimed at protecting vulnerable residents during increasingly dangerous heatwaves.

In a 4-0 decision, the CPUC mandated that utility companies cannot disconnect power to delinquent customers when temperatures reach 90 degrees Fahrenheit, down from the previous 100-degree threshold. This comes as California faces a surge in disconnections and growing concerns over heat-related deaths, prompting consumer advocates to push for stronger protections.

SACRAMENTO, CA – Faced with escalating extreme heat events and a significant rise in utility disconnections, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has enacted new rules to protect residents from power shutoffs during dangerous temperatures. In a unanimous 4-0 vote, the commission lowered the statewide temperature threshold for disconnections due to unpaid bills from 100 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit.

The decision follows mounting pressure from consumer advocacy groups who argued that the previous rules offered insufficient health protections, especially in areas unaccustomed to extreme heat. The CPUC also ordered investor-owned utilities, including PG&E, to implement more protective, region-specific heat standards within six months using the CalHeatScore tool, which assesses localized heat risk.

According to data cited by The Utility Reform Network (TURN), California's three largest investor-owned utilities—PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E—collectively disconnected power more than 422,000 times for nonpayment in 2025, a stark 33% increase from the previous year. PG&E alone was responsible for nearly 46,000 household disconnections in 2024. These shutoffs disproportionately affect the state's poorest communities.

Advocates like Jason Zeller, an attorney with the Utility Consumers Action Network, highlighted the severe consequences of disconnections. "When electricity is shut off to a home, it can have a sort of a cascading effect of problems on tenants," Zeller noted. Lee Trotman of TURN emphasized the life-threatening danger, stating, "Heat kills more people directly than any other weather-related hazard," and that "Extreme heat and utility disconnections are a dangerous combination that can put lives at risk."

While the new CPUC rules address shutoffs for nonpayment, they do not impact outages caused by equipment failures or Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) implemented for wildfire prevention. This distinction is crucial as California grapples with multiple energy-related challenges.

Legislative efforts are also underway to further strengthen protections. Senator Lena Gonzalez (D–Long Beach) introduced SB 57, which aims to prohibit utility disconnections during extreme heat (above 95°F) or cold (below 32°F) for 24 hours and mandate outreach to vulnerable communities. However, even this bill focuses on delaying disconnections rather than addressing existing utility debt, a point of continued advocacy for environmental justice and tenant groups seeking full debt relief and expanded energy subsidies.