Kansas Customers Behind on Utility Bills Can Pay Just 1/12 of What They Owe to Keep Service On Under the Cold Weather Rule Through March 31

Falling behind on a gas or electric bill going into winter is one of the more stressful spots a household can be in. In Kansas, a rule that has been on the books since 1983 lets customers who are behind keep their service on by paying a fraction of the overdue balance up front, then spreading the rest across the year.

The Kansas Cold Weather Rule took effect Nov. 1 and runs through March 31. Under it, a residential customer with a past-due balance can start a 12-month payment plan by paying 1/12 of the overdue amount, plus 1/12 of the current bill and any fees and deposit, KSCB News reported as the season began.

How the 1/12 payment plan works

The Kansas Corporation Commission, which regulates the state’s public utilities, spells out the standard arrangement. To keep or restore service, a customer pays:

• 1/12 of the overdue amount
• 1/12 of the current bill
• All disconnection and reconnection fees
• Any deposit that applies

The rest of the overdue balance is then paid in equal installments over the next 11 months, on top of each regular monthly bill. A customer who can pay faster can also negotiate a plan that clears the debt in less than 12 months.

Here is what that looks like in practice. A household that owes $600 in past-due charges would put $50 of that toward the overdue balance to start, then pay roughly another $50 a month toward it through next fall, while keeping up with new bills. Utilities must always allow the 12-month option, the commission says.

The plan is not automatic. The customer has to call the utility and set it up. Customers also have to keep paying their full bills for new service while working down the old balance, and if they fall behind on an earlier plan and cannot catch up, they need to make a new agreement.

When a utility can’t disconnect at all

Separate from the payment plan, the rule bars disconnections on the coldest days. A regulated utility cannot shut off service when the 48-hour forecast calls for temperatures below 35 degrees, with certain exceptions, according to the commission.

If the 48-hour forecast is 35 degrees or warmer, a utility can begin the final notice and disconnection process. If the forecast then drops below 35 before that period ends, the utility has to wait until a new 48-hour forecast above 35 is issued. To avoid a shutoff on warmer days, or to get service turned back on regardless of the temperature, the customer needs a payment arrangement in place.

Kansas sets its threshold a few degrees higher than Missouri, where the line is 32 degrees. In Kansas City, Kansas, the Board of Public Utilities runs its own policy, pausing shutoffs at or below 32 degrees within 24 hours, KCTV5 reported.

Notice a utility has to give first

Before any disconnection, a regulated utility has to send written notice 10 days ahead and try to reach the customer by phone or in person the day before. It must also tell the customer about the Cold Weather Rule plan and about agencies with money to help pay utility bills.

The Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, the state agency that represents residential ratepayers, adds that if the utility cannot reach a customer by phone the day before, it must visit the home or leave a door notice. Some utilities offer third-party notification, which lets a relative or caregiver be alerted before a shutoff. CURB suggests asking the utility whether it offers that option.

Who the rule covers

The rule applies only to residential customers of electric, natural gas and water utilities under the commission’s jurisdiction. Many municipal utilities and cooperatives have similar winter policies, but customers on those systems should check with their provider, KSCB News noted.

The commission created the rule in 1983 to protect health and safety during the winter months, according to CURB.

Help paying the bill itself

The payment plan spreads out a debt, but it does not shrink it. The commission tells customers to apply for any federal, state, local or special funds they qualify for, and Kansas’ main source is the Low Income Energy Assistance Program run by the Department for Children and Families.

DCF has not yet announced the application window for the coming season, saying details will be posted when available. Under the program’s current rules, a family of four qualifies with combined gross monthly income of up to $4,125, which is 150% of the federal poverty level. The benefit depends on income, household size, the type of home and the main heating fuel, and households get one benefit per year.

Last season’s window opened late, in January, after a federal government shutdown delayed it, and ran through March 31. More than 43,000 Kansas homes received benefits in 2025, averaging about $680, KCTV5 reported in January.

Other states are running their own winter help this season, from Colorado’s LEAP heating aid to New Jersey’s winter shutoff protection, which starts Nov. 15.

For a Kansas household already behind, the order of steps is simple: call the utility now to set up the 1/12 plan, ask about third-party notification, and watch for the DCF announcement so the energy assistance application can go in as soon as the window opens. Questions about the rule can go to the commission at 1-800-662-0027.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Downtowngal – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons