Minnesota households with income at or below half the state median cannot be required to pay more than 10 percent of their monthly income toward current and past-due heating bills through April 30. The catch is that the protection is not automatic. The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission says a household has to set up a payment plan with its utility and then keep making the payments.
How the 10 percent cap works
The commission says Cold Weather Rule protections take effect October 1 and remain in effect through April 30. Households at or below 50 percent of state median income cannot be required to pay more than 10 percent of monthly household income toward current and past-due heating bills. Every residential customer, whatever the income, may be eligible for a payment plan to keep service on through winter.
Commissioner John Tuma framed the timing in the commission’s announcement. “If you’re worried about keeping up with your energy bills, now is the time to take action,” he said. The cap does not apply until a household asks for it.
As an illustration of the arithmetic, a household taking in $2,000 a month could not be required to pay more than $200 a month toward current and past-due heating bills. A household at $1,500 a month would face a ceiling of $150. The cap covers the old balance and the new bills together, not just the balance.
The first step is a call to the gas or electric company. Customers contact the utility, request a Cold Weather Rule payment plan and get the forms from the company. A household that was already shut off can ask the utility to work out a plan and restore service.
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A plan that has to be kept
Once a household makes and keeps a plan, service cannot be disconnected or must be reconnected, the commission says. The word that matters is keeps. The commission’s shut-off protection page warns that if payments are missed, service may be shut off, and the utility does not have to offer another plan until the next Cold Weather Rule season.
The plan itself has to fit the household. The utility must offer one that is reasonable for the household’s finances, and customers can set up a Cold Weather Rule plan any time during the season. A regular payment plan is available year-round.
If the customer and the utility cannot agree, the customer can ask the gas or electric company for an appeal form and send it to the commission within 10 days of the date on the form. Service stays on while the appeal is pending. Municipal utilities and electric cooperatives use a separate inability-to-pay form.
Between October 1 and April 30, gas and electric companies must send a disconnection notice, payment plan options, information on appeals, and a list of local energy assistance and weatherization providers. They must also include no-cost and low-cost ways to save energy and a third-party notice form, which lets someone else be alerted to a pending shutoff.
Gas and electric only: what the rule leaves out
The rule covers natural gas and electric utilities. It does not cover delivered fuels: fuel oil, propane or wood. State law requires propane distributors to offer budget payment plans, and the commission encourages delivered-fuel customers to contact their providers directly.
Renters can qualify if electricity or gas is the primary heat source and the account is in their name. A household with an oil, wood or propane furnace that runs on electricity should apply through its electric company. The utility is the door, and the account holder is the person who has to walk through it.
For municipal utilities and cooperative electric associations, state law sets the same 50 percent line. Household income must be at or below 50 percent of the state median household income, verified on the utility’s forms or through the local energy assistance provider. Customers on public assistance with an income threshold at or below 50 percent are deemed eligible.
Help beyond the payment plan
The Minnesota Energy Assistance Program, run by the Department of Commerce, offers benefits of up to $1,400 and extra support for certain energy emergencies. It is open to homeowners and renters and covers delivered fuels, which the Cold Weather Rule does not. Income eligibility depends on household size.
Questions go to the commission’s Consumer Affairs Office, open Monday through Friday, at 651-296-0406 or 800-657-3782, or by email at consumer.puc@state.mn.us. A utility that cannot or will not help is the situation the office exists for.
The income line is where households sort themselves. A household at 50 percent of the median or below gets a ceiling on what the utility can demand. A household just over the line still can seek a plan, but without a stated cap. The question for each is whether the plan is in place before the next bill arrives.
Is a heating-bill plan on file before the next statement?
Minnesota’s cap works only for a household that asked for it and kept paying, and the commission says a missed payment can end the utility’s duty to offer another plan until next season. For a household near the 50 percent line, one missed date can leave the whole balance exposed in February.
The Senior Property Tax & Home-Cost Relief Kit does not set up the payment plan, which comes from the utility. It adds the surrounding help: heating, cooling and home-repair help, plus an application log and renewal calendar to track each program’s dates. Part 5, Utilities and Home Costs, covers the bills side.
Track every heating-help date with the relief kit’s application log →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
