Arizona blocks summer power shutoffs at 3 major utilities, protecting bills through October 15

Arizona summer power shutoff rules for 2026

A household served by Arizona Public Service, Tucson Electric Power or UNS Electric cannot have its power shut off this summer over an unpaid bill. The Arizona Corporation Commission, the state agency that regulates those 3 electric utilities, orders them to pause every nonpayment disconnection from June 1 through October 15, 2026, the same 2 dates confirmed independently on each utility own account page. Every dollar billed during that window is still owed, and the moratorium does not erase a balance, it only buys time to pay it or to get help.

Which Arizona utilities the summer protection covers

The moratorium legally binds only the 3 electric utilities the Arizona Corporation Commission regulates directly, Arizona Public Service, Tucson Electric Power and UNS Electric, all named in the commission own June 2026 press release as having opted for the full moratorium period. Regulated electric cooperatives instead follow their own company specific rules, the same release states. Salt River Project, a separate public power district the commission does not regulate, runs its own separate bill assistance line rather than following this particular commission ordered moratorium, a distinction that only becomes clear by reading the regulator statements and each utility own account page together, since no single source states it in 1 sentence.

Remember - the ACC has approved a disconnection moratorium from June 1 - October 15 to ensure customers are not disconnected for non-payment and can work out a payment plan.

Lea Marquez Peterson, commissioner, Arizona Corporation Commission. Source 5.

An extra rule for the hottest Arizona days

Since April 2026, Arizona Public Service also pauses nonpayment disconnection on any day its own forecast calls for 95 degrees Fahrenheit or higher the next day, a protection the Arizona Corporation Commission approved through a separate settlement. Tucson Electric Power and UNS Electric describe only the June 1 to October 15 calendar window on their own pages, with no matching temperature rule stated for either one. Once the fixed window is nearly over, each utility also acts automatically. Arizona Public Service places any account 75 dollars or more past due into a 6 month payment arrangement in mid September, while Tucson Electric Power and UNS Electric place any account still overdue after August 15 into an arrangement that requires paying that installment on top of the current bill.

I encourage residents to conserve energy this summer and take advantage of any assistance programs for which they may qualify.

Nick Myers, chairman, Arizona Corporation Commission. Source 3.

Help paying an Arizona power bill this summer

A household that cannot pay in full can apply to LIHEAP, the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or to the newer Power AZ program. The Arizona Corporation Commission states both pay up to 640 dollars in standard assistance and up to 500 dollars in crisis assistance, the same dollar ceilings under each program, so what actually differs between them is who qualifies, not how much a household can get. LIHEAP is open to a household at or below 60% of the state median income, while Power AZ reaches further, up to 100% of the state median income, which the commission gives as 107,976 dollars a year for a family of 4.

What happens once the summer protection ends

The protection ends October 15, 2026, and any unpaid balance is still owed in full once it does, the commission states. A household still struggling can call the utility directly, Arizona Public Service at 602 371 7171, Tucson Electric Power at 520 623 7711, or UNS Electric at 877 837 4698, or reach the statewide assistance line at 866 494 1981.