Milwaukee Winter Shutoff Rules 2026–27: The November 1 Moratorium, We Energies and Getting Your Heat Back
Wisconsin's winter disconnection moratorium starts November 1 and runs through April 15. During that time, a utility generally can't shut off service for nonpayment if it provides your home's main heat or affects it.
That protection is real, but it's often misunderstood. It doesn't erase your bill, it has an income-based exception written into the state rule, and the bill is still there on April 16. This guide walks through the season month by month, for We Energies customers in Milwaukee and anyone else in Wisconsin dealing with a regulated utility.
Last checked October 2026. Rules come from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin's Utility Customer Bill of Rights, Wisconsin Administrative Code PSC 113.0301 and 113.0304, and PSC press releases from March 25 and June 29, 2026.
What the Moratorium Covers
The PSC's Bill of Rights says that if a utility service provides the primary heat source for your home, or affects it, the utility cannot disconnect that service from November 1 through April 15.
"Affects" matters in Milwaukee's older housing. The PSC's own example is water or steam radiators. Electric service that runs a gas furnace's blower can also affect your heat. If you're not sure whether a service counts, ask the utility. Under the related reconnection rule (PSC 113.0303), a utility that's unsure whether service affects the heat source has to treat it as if it does until it can document otherwise.
The Fine Print Most Guides Leave Out
The administrative rule behind the moratorium, PSC 113.0304, is more detailed than the consumer summary. It says a utility may disconnect during the cold-weather period only households that meet both of these conditions:
gross quarterly income above 250% of the federal poverty guidelines, and
no one whose health or safety would be endangered by age, disability or "the frailties associated with being very young."
Even then, the rule calls a winter disconnection a last resort, and it piles on requirements:
The utility has the burden of proof that your household can be disconnected.
A utility representative must meet in person with a responsible adult in the household before and again at the time of disconnection, to find out about medical problems or disabilities.
The utility must give you its after-hours emergency number.
Before disconnecting, it must tell you about deferred payment agreements and budget billing.
It can't disconnect an occupied home on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday or holiday, or on any day when staff aren't available 24 hours to negotiate restoration.
A designated executive has to sign off, certifying that every code requirement was met.
The utility must report each disconnection of an occupied home to the PSC by 3:30 p.m. that day.
By the end of the next workday, someone must visit in person to check on the household's wellbeing.
A utility that wants to make any winter disconnections must first get its procedures approved by PSC order each year.
So the practical takeaway is this: a winter shutoff of an occupied, heated home in Wisconsin is rare and heavily regulated. Tell your utility if anyone in the home is very young, elderly, disabled or ill, and if your income is low.
Month by Month
October: Before the moratorium
This is the window people miss. A shutoff notice in October can still be carried out in October.
If you were already disconnected, the PSC says utilities must try to contact customers who were cut off for nonpayment before winter. They must check on your wellbeing, try to negotiate a payment plan, and tell you about assistance. Don't wait for them to call. Call We Energies at 800-842-4565 and ask what it takes to reconnect.
Apply for energy assistance now (see WHEAP below).
If a shutoff would make a medical or protective services emergency worse, the PSC says the utility may delay disconnection for up to 21 days. It can ask for documentation from a professional involved, so call your doctor's office or caseworker early.
November 1 to April 15: The moratorium
Keep paying something if you can. Charges keep building all winter.
Ask We Energies about budget billing. The PSC describes it as averaging your estimated annual use into even monthly payments, readjusted every six months.
Set up a deferred payment agreement (DPA) on the past-due balance. That's a down payment plus installments, negotiated with the utility.
March: The month to act
In March 2026, the PSC warned customers that those who are behind "may be at risk of disconnection if payment arrangements are not established by April 15." Late March is when to lock in a DPA and file for any assistance you haven't gotten yet.
April 16 and after
Once the moratorium ends, normal disconnection rules apply again. If you defaulted on a DPA, that's one of the listed grounds for disconnection.
There's also a deposit consequence. The PSC says a utility can ask for a deposit if you ran up winter debt (November 1 to April 15) that was 80 or more days past due and you had the ability to pay. That deposit can be as high as your four highest consecutive bills from the past 12 months. Other deposits are capped at the two largest consecutive bills.
We Energies: How to Make a Payment Arrangement
We Energies says its self-service payment arrangement options offer the same terms as calling a representative. They're available 24/7:
online, through your We Energies account
in the We Energies app
through the automated phone line at 800-842-4565
To talk to a representative, call 800-842-4565, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
When you call, have your account number ready, know what you can realistically pay each month, and ask directly:
"What's the down payment on a deferred payment agreement for my balance?"
"Can I go on budget billing at the same time?"
"Is there a medical certification on my account?" (if someone in the home is ill)
"Will an energy assistance payment be applied to this balance?"
The PSC says utilities are required to offer DPAs to residential customers who can't pay in full. Municipal utilities aren't required to offer them to tenants, but many still do.
WHEAP: Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance
The Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP) is run by the Wisconsin Department of Administration. The PSC describes it as part of the state's Home Energy Plus program, which covers:
help with heating and electric bills
emergency energy needs
emergency furnace repairs
conservation services and weatherization for low-income households
Apply online: energybenefit.wi.gov Apply by phone: 1-866-HEATWIS (1-866-432-8947)
If You Can't Reach an Agreement
The PSC says you and the utility must first make a reasonable attempt to resolve the dispute. If that fails, contact the PSC Consumer Affairs Bureau at 1-800-225-7729, or file a complaint on the PSC website.
Your disconnection notice must include the reasons for the shutoff, how to set up a payment plan, how to report a medical or protective services emergency, and how to dispute the notice. Keep it.
Summer Shutoffs Have Rules Too
The moratorium is a winter protection, but Wisconsin also limits summer shutoffs. Under PSC 113.0301(16), a utility can't disconnect service in an affected county while a National Weather Service heat advisory, warning or emergency is in effect. During one of those alerts, it must make reasonable attempts to reconnect an occupied home when an occupant says the heat plus the loss of service threatens health or life.
For Renters
Under PSC 113.0304, a noncustomer occupant, such as a tenant whose landlord holds the account, must be told about the option of taking responsibility for future bills. If your landlord is behind and you're getting notices, call the utility. Tell them you live there and that the service heats your home.
The PSC also warns that some delinquent municipal utility bills can be transferred to the property owner's tax bill, or become a lien on a tenant's personal assets.
FAQ
When does the Wisconsin winter moratorium start and end? November 1 through April 15 every year.
Does it cover electric service if I heat with gas? It covers service that provides your primary heat or affects it. If your gas furnace can't run without electricity, ask We Energies to treat the electric service as affecting your heat.
Can We Energies shut me off in winter at all? State rule PSC 113.0304 allows a winter disconnection only as a last resort, for households above 250% of the poverty guidelines where no one's health or safety would be endangered. It also has to meet strict notice, visit and approval requirements.
Does the moratorium forgive my bill? No. The balance remains, and a deposit can be required if you built up winter debt more than 80 days past due while able to pay.
What's the number for WHEAP? 1-866-HEATWIS (1-866-432-8947), or apply at energybenefit.wi.gov.
Who do I call if We Energies won't work with me? After trying the utility first, call the PSC Consumer Affairs Bureau at 1-800-225-7729.
I have a medical emergency. What helps? The utility may delay a shutoff for up to 21 days if it would aggravate a medical or protective services emergency. It can ask for documentation from a professional.
Related Guides
Sources
PSC of Wisconsin, Utility Customer Bill of Rights: https://psc.wi.gov/Pages/ForConsumers/MoreResources/UtilityCustomerBillRights.aspx
Wis. Admin. Code PSC 113.0304 (cold-weather disconnections): https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/code/admin_code/psc/113/iii/0304
Wis. Admin. Code PSC 113.0301–0303: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/code/admin_code/psc/113/iii/0302
PSC press release, March 25, 2026: https://psc.wi.gov/Documents/PressReleases/2026.03.25PressRelease.PDF
PSC press release, June 29, 2026 (heat rules): https://psc.wi.gov/Documents/PressReleases/06.29.26PressRelease.PDF
We Energies, Payment arrangements and energy assistance: https://www.we-energies.com/payment-bill/assistance
Comments