By Clarissa Sosin | Phoenix New Times
APS will no longer cut off customers’ electricity when temperatures spike above 95 degrees, no matter the time of year.
On Wednesday, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced a $7 million settlement agreement with Arizona Public Service over the utility’s account disconnection policies during periods of high heat.
The utility agreed to stop turning off power to customers for nonpayment on days when the temperature is 95 degrees or higher. (APS already had a disconnection moratorium period, but it covered only part of the calendar.) It will also pay $2.75 million in monetary relief, provide $1 million in credits to eligible consumers with outstanding balances and invest $3.1 million in “consumer protection improvements.”
Mayes’ announcement also noted that APS’s payments “must be funded solely through APS shareholder funds and may not be recovered from ratepayers through future rate cases or surcharges.”
