Start here
The free tool below runs entirely in this browser — no account, nothing stored or transmitted. Redact anything you would not want kept before you type it.
Open the companion tool →What is almost always available
State commission rules commonly require advance notice, an offered payment plan, and protections for medical need, extreme weather, and households with young children or a disabled member — but the terms are state-specific and the deadlines are short. LIHEAP assistance runs through the state's own administering agency, and about one in six US households entered 2026 already behind on a utility bill.
The file also protects against the reverse error: a shutoff scheduled for the wrong account, or an arrearage that was already paid, is a complaint the commission can act on quickly when the receipts are attached.
The protocol
- Write the notice down: date received, shutoff date, amount claimed, account number, and the number to call.
- Check the state's rules for notice period, payment-plan duty, medical certification, and any weather moratorium.
- Gather the payment receipts and the last twelve months of bills; total what is actually owed versus what is claimed.
- Apply to the assistance route at the same time as you call for a plan — the two are not alternatives.
- Log every call and letter with the date, the representative, the agreed arrangement, and whether it was confirmed in writing.
What the tool does
Build a dated shutoff-defense file: the notice, the state rule, the receipts, and the assistance application. It runs locally in this browser and sends nothing.
Limit first: This is a documentation and planning aid, not legal, energy or benefits advice. It cannot stop a shutoff by itself, compel a commission decision, or certify eligibility.
Open the companion tool →Cost and free path
Cost: Free: one complete run in this browser, no account. Optional $4 one-time unlock allows unlimited runs of this tool on this browser. The free path and safety guidance never require payment.
Rule status (mixed route): mixed: state commission shutoff rules and seasonal moratoriums vary; LIHEAP is a federal block grant administered by states through HHS ACF, with program windows and amounts set annually. There is no national moratorium in force. Reviewed 2026-10-03; state intake windows for the 2026-27 heating season vary.
Automated decision this documents: automated billing and collections that schedule a shutoff from an arrearage balance
Free path, in order (no cost):
- State LIHEAP office (LIHEAP is administered by the states through ACF)
- 211 — emergency utility assistance and payment-plan help (211.org)
- Your state commission's consumer division (shutoff complaints)
- A medical certification route where the state provides one — ask the commission or the utility in writing
What this cannot do: It cannot stop a shutoff by itself, compel a commission decision, or certify eligibility.
Sources checked 2026-10-03 · source bank reviewed against the live pages listed in metadata.
One human next step
Call the utility's collections line and the state's LIHEAP office on the same day, note the agreement in writing, and if the shutoff proceeds despite the record, file with the commission's consumer division before the shutoff date.
Research log and safety checks
AI-assist path: not used for a verdict. This builder organises the reader's own documents and names an independent source; it does not infer authenticity, eligibility, or legal rights. §6.9/§6.10/§6.11 disclosed in the batch report; §6.12 status line carried in metadata as `status_line`.
§0.5 protection result: category is utilities-and-essential-costs; crisis-adjacent: no; fear/urgency/scarcity toolkit used: no. The protective function is free and the paid feature is convenience only.