Help paying utility bills in Utah

Utah's rules for regulated utilities

The Utah Public Service Commission (PSC) sets the Residential Utility Service Rules for Electric, Gas, Water and Sewer Utilities, found at Utah Administrative Code R746-200, for the companies it regulates. Under those rules, a utility must send notice at least 10 calendar days before a proposed shutoff for nonpayment. It must also make a good-faith effort to reach you at least 48 hours before the scheduled date. Except for safety or service diversion, it may not disconnect between Thursday at 4 p.m. and Monday at 9 a.m., or on a Utah legal holiday, and shutoffs happen only between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. If a city provides your power or water, ask for its own policy.

Winter contact and medical statements

From October 1 through March 31, Utah's rule requires personal notice before a shutoff, such as a visit to the home or a phone conversation with you. In other months, the mailed 48-hour notice can be the final warning. If a licensed medical provider signs a statement that someone in the home has a serious illness or infirmity, the utility must keep or restore service for the period in the statement or one month, whichever is shorter. A utility does not have to do this more than two times for the same customer or home in a calendar year, and you still owe for the service used. Households with life-supporting equipment get at least 30 calendar days of notice and added steps.

HEAT, crisis help and the 30-day shield

Utah's form of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is HEAT, the Home Energy Assistance Target program. It helps pay power and gas bills while each year's funding lasts, and the Office of Consumer Services says applications open each November 1. Household income must be at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level. Gather your power and heat bills, proof of all household income from the prior month, and any medical, child support or alimony payments, then contact the local HEAT office for your county. If a shutoff is near, ask that office for crisis assistance, which runs year-round. A utility may not cut service to a low income household for at least 30 days after it receives a HEAT payment or verification of one.

Discounts from Rocky Mountain Power and Enbridge Gas Utah

Two utility programs build on HEAT. The Home Electric Lifeline Program (HELP) gives HEAT-eligible Rocky Mountain Power customers a monthly discount on the electric bill. The state's HELP page recommends applying for HEAT, because that brings both benefits, though a separate HELP application exists. Enbridge Gas Utah runs an Energy Assistance Fund that gives HEAT-qualified customers a one-time credit each heating season. Ask about both when you apply. The State Weatherization Program, funded in part through HEAT and the U.S. Department of Energy, weatherizes homes and can repair or replace a furnace or air conditioner in an emergency. To apply, contact the local agency that serves your county.

Deferred payment agreements in Utah

If you cannot pay a past due balance at once, Utah's rule lets you keep service under a deferred payment agreement. The plan spreads the delinquent balance, plus any interest the commission has approved, over 12 months of equal payments. You agree to make the first installment and to keep paying new bills. You may fold the current month's bill and reconnection charges into the plan, and you can pay it off early at any time. If the utility offers budget billing, it must let you choose between regular bills plus the installment or the budget amount plus the installment. Get the terms in writing. After a missed payment, a new plan is up to the utility.

Utah complaints start with the Division of Public Utilities

Call the utility first, using the phone number on your bill. If that does not solve the problem, file an informal complaint with the Utah Division of Public Utilities (DPU), part of the Department of Commerce, by letter, by phone or through its online form. The division says most responses arrive within five working days, though some take up to thirty. A formal complaint to the Public Service Commission is the last step, and the commission generally allows one only when an informal settlement looks unlikely. When you contact the division, explain the shutoff date, what you have already paid and whether you have applied for HEAT. Keep notes of every conversation.

Adding Settlemont to a Utah plan

For a Utah household waiting on HEAT, Settlemont can be a parallel request for help with one bill. You submit privately with a first name, email, state, the Utility category, the amount and the due date, with no statement upload. A reviewer confirms the biller, the owner and the current balance, and checks for duplicates and fraud signals. A Medical bill would be held to stricter privacy rules and would need its own consent. Supporters see only a first name, the state, the category and the verified amount, and their support goes straight to the biller. Settlemont charges the bill owner nothing at any stage. Approval does not mean the bill will be paid by its due date, so keep your deferred payment agreement current.

Sources

• Utah Office of Consumer Services: Energy Assistance
• Utah Division of Public Utilities: Utility Complaint Procedure
• Utah myDoorway: Utility Assistance
• Utah Department of Workforce Services: Home Electric Lifeline Program
• Utah Administrative Code R746-200-7: Termination of Service (Cornell LII)
• Utah Administrative Code R746-200-5: Deferred Payment Agreement (Cornell LII)

Facts checked November 2026. Rules change, so confirm with the agency or utility before relying on a protection.

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