Rick Wiley / Arizona Daily Star
By David Wichner | Arizona Daily Star
Tucson Electric Power Co. disconnected customers more than 15,000 times for nonpayment last year, according to documents filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission as part of its recently adopted summertime ban on disconnecting home customers.
Regulators imposed the ban in June after an Arizona Public Service Co. customer in Sun City West died a heat-related death after her power was cut off for nonpayment of $51.
TEP reported it disconnected customers 15,398 times in 2018, but the utility has not had any complaints, lawsuits or settlements involving the death of a customer whose power was disconnected, spokesman Joe Barrios said.
Based on its customer count, TEP shut off customers at about one-third of the rate of Arizona Public Service Co., which disconnected customers more than 110,000 times last year.
