CT Regulators OK Food Spoilage Provisions For Extended Outages

CONNECTICUT — Connecticut electricity regulators Wednesday announced provisions for residents to recoup losses of food and other sundries spoiled because of sustained power outages in another move related to the Tropical Storm Isaias aftermath.

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority issued a final decision Wednesday establishing standards and procedures for residential customers to receive credits and "other compensation" for spoiled food and medicine from the Eversource Energy and The United Illuminating Company after "future weather-related emergencies."

The move came down to "implementing another key measure included in the last year’s "Take Back Our Grid Act" (PA 20-5)," PURA officials said.

It becomes effective Thursday.

Today’s decision, officially part of PURA Docket No. 20-12-46, will provide customers with a $25 bill credit for each 24-hour period of time, subsequent to 96 consecutive hours of an electricity outage, after a major storm emergency, PURA officials said.

For example, a residential customer may be eligible for a $25 bill credit after experiencing an outage of 120 hours (five days), with an incremental $25 bill credit for each additional 24-hour period. Customers experiencing outages for periods of less than a 24-hours beyond the 96-consecutive-hour time frame will not receive partial credits under the act.

The decision also authorizes residential customers to receive $250 in compensation for medication and food that expired or spoiled due to an electricity outage lasting longer than 96 consecutive hours. Customers would be required to seek spoilage compensation through filed claims, URA officials said.

Also, unlike outage credits that will be applied to the balance of a customer’s account, spoilage compensation will be issued via a check to the eligible residential customer, unless a customer requests a bill credit through the claims process, according to the decision.

In the event customers are eligible for either credit, PURA's decision requires the electric utilities to provide the credits within two months of the major storm or emergency.

PURA's decision also establishes a detailed waiver process by which the electric utilities can seek relief from providing customer credits after a storm, for reasons such as line worker safety and conditions on the ground.

Today’s decision implements Sections 10 and 11 of PA 20-5, which was enacted by the General Assembly during a Special Session in September 2020, and signed into law by Governor Ned Lamont on Oct. 2, 2020.

The utility reform bill, which also tasks PURA to investigate and implement the first-of-its-kind performance-based ratemaking framework for electric utilities, among other provisions, was signed into law weeks after Tropical Storm Isaias in August knocked out power to more than 1 million residents and businesses.