These customers may not be able to pay off their debt or keep up with new bills once moratoriums end. Without the worry of losing service, some customers didn’t pay their past-due balances during that period. In the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, utilities across the US and Canada issued moratoriums on disconnections for nonpayment. Support AMP participants with energy efficiency programs and Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding to help them stay enrolled and keep up with current bills.Make it easy for customers to enroll and participate in your AMP by including information on your website and using targeted messaging.Work with regulators up front to set an appropriate threshold-explain your reasoning for wanting to set your threshold at a specific amount.Choose a threshold that doesn’t exclude customers or put them in too much debt before they can qualify. Figure out your qualification threshold for past-due balances.Our contacts at SoCalGas and National Grid shared their advice on designing an arrears management program ( AMP):
