Special Reconnect Order | Office Of The Ohio Consumers' Counsel
65 East State Street, Suite 700, Columbus, OH 43215-4213
Any residential customer who is served by a regulated gas or electric utility company may use the Special Reconnect Order, while it is in effect, to establish, maintain, or restore service. Customers that have multiple residential accounts may only utilize the winter reconnection order to establish, maintain, or reconnect service at the property where they reside.
Mon-Fri 8:30am-5:30pm October 13 through April 15, 2026.
If you would like to take advantage of the Service Reconnect Order, call your electric or natural gas company between October 13, 2025 and April 15, 2026.
Residential customers are required to pay no more than $175 to maintain service under the reconnection order. If the customer’s service has already been disconnected, the customer must pay the $175 and possibly a reconnection fee of no more than $36 to restore service. Customers requesting new natural gas or electric service, who have no previous balance with their utility, may establish service under the winter reconnect order by paying $175, rather than paying the required security deposit. Such customers may have the remaining balance of the security deposit added to their next month’s bill. If a customer is at or below 175 percent of the federal poverty guideline, he or she is eligible to use the Emergency Home Energy Assistance Program (E-HEAP) funds to pay the $175.
Coshocton County, Ohio Knox County, Ohio Guernsey County, Ohio Athens County, Ohio Washington County, Ohio Licking County, Ohio Pickaway County, Ohio Marion County, Ohio Crawford County, Ohio Wyandot County, Ohio Noble County, Ohio Monroe County, Ohio
The Winter Reconnect Order issued each year by the Public Utility Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has a new name. It is now the Special Reconnect Order (SRO). The SRO may be used once per utility (electric and natural gas) from Oct 13, 2025 through April 15, 2026 to reconnect or to avoid disconnection of investor-owned, PUCO-regulated utilities. The SRO allows customers to pay only $175, plus up to $36 for a reconnection fee (if applicable), of what they owe. Any remaining balance is put into a payment arrangement. There are no income restrictions, and the Order may also be used to establish or transfer service. If the SRO is used for both electric and natural gas at the same time, the $175 may be split between the two.
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Office Of The Ohio Consumers' Counsel
Statewide legal representative for Ohio’s residential consumers in matters related to their utility services. Also monitors utility companies’ compliance with regulatory standards and educates consumers about utility issues and the services provided by their investor-owned electric, natural gas, telephone and water companies.