Disconnection Policy
Minnesota Power Residential Customer Disconnection Process
Information on your bill includes the date when payment is due. After that date, the bill is considered past due and service may be discontinued upon five days' written notice. We hope our relationship with you never reaches this point, but if it does, here are the rules and procedures that govern service disconnections:
Non-Cold Weather Disconnections
Before your electric service is disconnected, we'll send you a written notice by first-class mail, explaining the reason. If nonpayment of a bill is the reason for the disconnection, a Minnesota Power representative can accept payment of the past due account and not disconnect your electricity. With written notice, electric service may be disconnected if:
- You fail to pay your bill for utility service, but only when the amount of the outstanding bill equals or exceeds the amount of any deposit;
- You fail to meet Minnesota Power's deposit and credit requirements;
- You fail to make proper application for service;
- You violate any of Minnesota Power's regulations on file with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC);
- You fail to provide Minnesota Power reasonable access to its equipment and property;
- You breach the contract for service;
- You fail to provide such service, equipment, and/or rights-of-way necessary for service as specified by Minnesota Power as a condition of obtaining service;
- It is necessary for Minnesota Power to comply with any order or request of any governmental authority having jurisdiction. Such written notice may not be given, however, if your electric usage is unauthorized or posing a serious hazard. Electricity may be disconnected immediately and without notice if there is illegal activity, such as meter tampering or diverting current, or if a condition exists which would be hazardous to you, other customers, utility equipment or the public.
Minnesota Power will not knowingly disconnect your service while you are properly pursuing a complaint with us or through the MPUC. If we have tried and have been unsuccessful in resolving a dispute through established procedures, our last recourse would be to disconnect.
Cold Weather Disconnections
Special procedures in cold weather months in Minnesota govern disconnection of residential electric service that affects primary heating sources. These rules, issued by the MPUC, are in effect from October 1 through April 30 and are intended to minimize customer hardship during the heating season. The Cold Weather Rule does not forbid winter shut off. If you receive a shut off during the winter months, you must act promptly and call Minnesota Power at 1-800-228-4966 to apply for Cold Weather Rule protection and set up a payment plan. Your service will be subject to disconnection without further notice if you do not make the agreed upon payments. If you cannot keep your original payment plan, call Minnesota Power immediately and make a new payment plan to avoid disconnection.
Please visit the Minnesota Cold Weather Rule Protections page for more information.
Minnesota Power Residential Customer Disconnection Process
Disconnection of service is the last step in a process to collect past due amounts. Residential customers who are behind on their bills should immediately contact Minnesota Power to set up a payment plan.
Notice. Customers first receive a Past Due Reminder Notice when a bill has not been paid. A Disconnection Notice is sent if this past due balance remains unpaid. After getting this notice, customers have ten calendar days to pay or to set up a payment plan. If payment is not made, and the customer does not contact Minnesota Power, service may be disconnected. This applies outside of Cold Weather Rule (CWR) (May 1 – September 30) and during Cold Weather Rule (CWR) (October 1 - April 30) months.
Past due amounts. When a residential customer owes $200 and the bill is 54 days late or older, Minnesota Power:
- Sends a Reminder Notice
- Contacts the customer by automated phone call
If a customer does not pay or set up a payment plan within 15 days of notice or call, Minnesota Power:
- Makes a second automated phone call
- Sends a Disconnection Notice that shows when service will be shut off (10 days from the notice date)
Minnesota Power will try multiple times to reach the customer about their past due balance. We will not disconnect service until the customer owes at least $200 and the bill is 79 days late or more.
Communications. Minnesota Power uses several methods to reach customers about past due balances before disconnecting service.
- Reminder Notices go to the customer’s mailing address. Customers who choose paperless billing will see the notice in our customer self-service portal. They will get an email telling them to log in and view it.
- Phone Calls are automated. Two calls are made to the main phone number on the account.
- Disconnection Notices are mailed to both the service address and mailing address if they are different. Customers registered for our self-service portal can also view this notice there.
Payment plans. Minnesota Power will work with customers to set up a payment plan for a past due balance. We can:
- Set up a payment plan for a past due balance.
- Work individually with each customer on payment plan terms, including length of the plan.
- Provide customers with information about programs, discounts, energy assistance, and other resources to help with past due bills.
Customers need to be reasonably on time with their payments under the payment plan to avoid disconnection. If a customer fails to meet two or more agreed-upon payment plans in the past twelve months, another payment plan may not be offered.
During the Cold Weather Rule months, customers with income at or below 50% of the state median income may not be required to pay more than 10% of their monthly household income toward current or past due bills for heating service, consistent with https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/cite/216B.096, Subd. 5.
Down payments or deposits. Minnesota Power does not require down payments or deposits for residential customers.
