Virginia's second-largest electricity provider says customers who have fallen behind on their bills might be getting cut-off notices in the mail, but no one's service is going to be turned off.
Appalachian Power spokeswoman Teresa Hall told The Roanoke Times this week the notices are a formality sent in part because many financial aid agencies require people to have a disconnection notice in order to qualify for help with bills.
The mailers should make clear that no household’s service is actually being disconnected over late payments, she said.
New state budget legislation that took effect last month indefinitely extended a moratorium on utility disconnections across Virginia.
The State Corporation Commission, which regulates utilities, did not receive any reports of disconnections earlier this year, even when the moratorium temporarily lapsed, spokesman Ken Schrad said.
Appalachian Power serves more than 535,000 residential and commercial customers in the western half of the state.
