Advocacy groups call on PUC to extend electricity disconnect moratorium

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Electricity disconnects in the Houston area have been suspended by the Public Utility Commission of Texas due to extreme heat.

However, they could resume as soon as Monday if the current National Weather Service heat advisory is not extended.

The AARP and Texas Consumer Association are petitioning the PUC to extend its moratorium on electricity disconnects through mid-September.

"Almost 45% of Texans do struggle to pay their utility bills. They have to balance between other basic needs like food, transportation, housing, and electricity," AARP Texas Director Tina Tran said.

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Seventy-year-old Magnolia Park resident Maria Rodriguez told ABC13 she stopped running her air conditioning Saturday.

"It's expensive paying those kinds of bills," she explained. "What I'm doing is trying to buy less groceries and trying to save my money to pay the bill."

Rodriguez told ABC13 she was headed to the store to "cool off."

"It's a good way to save some money," she said.

The petition also asks the PUC to direct electricity providers to publish weekly reports on the number of electric accounts disconnected for lack of payment.

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