Missouri utility companies are now prohibited from shutting off service for longer periods during extreme weather.
The legislature changed the state's hot and cold weather rules in a massive utility bill called SB4, which takes effect Thursday.
Before, utilities had to pause disconnections for 24 hours when extreme hot or cold weather was in the forecast. Now, they'll be prevented from shutting off service for 72 hours if temperatures are predicted to be extreme. The rule applies to natural gas or electric utilities.
In the summer, defined as June 1 to Sept. 30, the temperature cutoff is 95 degrees or a 105 heat index. In the winter, Nov. 1 to March 31, it's 32 degrees or freezing.
The new law would have added 18 protected days if it had been in effect last summer, according to high temperature data from the National Weather Service. In the winter months of 2024, it would have added 25 days.
Heat is the deadliest weather-related event, according to the National Weather Service. It kills more people each year than hurricanes, floods and tornadoes.
In June, Ameren disconnected more than 4,000 customers, according to records filed with Missouri's Public Service Commission. That month, more than 160,000 customers were behind on their bills.
In June, a St. Louis County woman was found dead in her hot apartment after Ameren disconnected her electric service for nonpayment. The St. Louis County medical examiner is conducting an investigation to determine if she died of the heat. The hot weather rule wouldn't have prevented that disconnection because it happened more than a week before the heat wave.
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