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Utilities · Shutoff Prevention · Western Massachusetts
A Western Mass Guide to Utility Shutoff Support
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When I get a referral related to a shutoff notice, I start with a checklist.
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I want to know what kind of utility bill it is, how much is past due, whether there is an actual shutoff date, and whether service has already been disconnected. I want to know if the person has already called the utility, applied for fuel assistance, been approved for HEAP, or connected with any local utility assistance program.
Then I check protections. Serious illness. Infant in the home. Older adult household. Heat-related service during the winter protection period. Financial hardship. If one of those applies, the case moves differently.
The goal is not to jump straight to the biggest resource list. The goal is to find the first missing step, handle that, then move to the next one.
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Start With These Facts
As of May 19, 2026, the special 2025-2026 winter shutoff moratorium in Massachusetts has ended. It began October 27, 2025 and ended April 1, 2026.
Outside the winter moratorium, some households still have shutoff protections if they have financial hardship and meet a protected condition.
The big protected conditions to screen for are serious illness in the home, a child under 12 months old, every adult in the home being 65 or older, or heat-related service during the winter protection period.
If service has already been shut off, or is about to be shut off, the Department of Public Utilities Consumer Division is the escalation door: (617) 737-2836 or (877) 886-5066.
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The Quick Sort
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There is a serious illness in the home: Call the utility and ask about serious illness protection. Ask what medical certification they need, who can sign it, how to submit it, and how long the protection lasts.
There is a baby under 12 months old: Call the utility and ask what they need to certify infant protection. Get the child's birth date and proof they will accept.
Every adult is 65 or older: Ask the utility whether DPU approval would be required before shutoff. This is a protection screen, not a payment plan.
The bill is heat-related during winter: Check the exact date and whether the account provides heat or operates the heating system. Winter protection is date-specific.
No clear protection: Call the utility anyway. Ask for the exact shutoff date, minimum payment to stop shutoff, discount rate, arrearage management, payment plan options, and whether the account is coded for financial hardship.
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First Doors
Main Utility and Fuel Assistance Contacts
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Use the bill first. The name on the bill is the route. Keep this part brief: utility, phone number, online page, fuel assistance door.
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Springfield
Utility: Eversource. 300 Cadwell Drive, Springfield, MA 01104. Customer service: (877) 659-6326. Contact page. Bill help.
Fuel assistance: Valley Opportunity Council. Phone: (413) 552-1548. Apply online at toapply.org. VOC page: Fuel Assistance.
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Northampton
Utility: National Grid, 1-800-322-3223, contact page. Eversource Western Massachusetts, 877-659-2632, contact page. Check the bill to see which company holds the account.
Fuel assistance: Community Action Pioneer Valley. Phone: (413) 774-2310 or (800) 370-0940. Email: [email protected]. Northampton office: 155 Pleasant St. Applicant portal: toapply.org/CA.
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Greenfield
Utility: Eversource electric, contact page. Berkshire Gas, 1-800-292-5012, website. Check the bill to confirm the account holder and utility.
Fuel assistance: Community Action Pioneer Valley. Phone: (413) 774-2310 or (800) 370-0940. Email: [email protected]. Greenfield office: 377 Main St. Applicant portal: toapply.org/CA.
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First Step
Find Where the Person Is in the Process
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When a shutoff referral comes in, the first question is not only "Which program pays this?"
The first question is: "Where is this person in the process?"
Most of the time, the person is behind on the bill, missed a fuel assistance recertification, has not heard back on HEAP, needs a payment plan, or needs help understanding what the utility is asking for. Start there.
Ask what they have already done. Did they call the utility? Did they apply for HEAP? Were they approved last year? Did they get a recertification packet? Did the utility ask for a financial hardship form? Is there a shutoff date, or is this a past-due notice?
If something looks off, match the issue to the right next door: the utility, fuel assistance agency, DPU Consumer Division, legal aid, or another local assistance route. Some cases need a call with the client. Some need a document uploaded. Some need a payment plan. Some need a stronger advocacy door.
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Worker Move
Start with the person's own status: applied, approved, denied, pending, recertification missing, payment plan needed, or shutoff date active. Then work the next step, not the whole system.
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Path 1
Medical Shutoff Protection
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Medical shutoff protection is for a household where someone has a serious illness and the household also has financial hardship.
In Massachusetts, the serious illness call can be made by a physician, physician assistant, nurse practitioner, or local board of health official. A primary care office is often the most practical place to start. The utility can ask for a written certification after the call.
The renewal date matters. Serious illness certifications renew quarterly unless the illness is certified as chronic. Chronic serious illness protection renews every six months. Put that renewal date somewhere the client and worker can actually see it.
This protection can stop termination while it is active. It does not erase the balance, and it can create a second problem: if the account stays protected, the person may not receive an active shutoff notice. RAFT often needs proof of housing crisis, and Mass.gov lists a utility shutoff notice as one example of that proof.
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Worker Move
If medical protection is the right route, help the person ask the medical office for the certification, confirm the utility received it, and calendar the renewal. Then talk through the balance. Paying the current monthly use plus any small extra amount, even $5, $10, or $20, can keep the arrears moving in the right direction when a formal payment plan asks for more than the household can actually pay.
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Path 2
RAFT for Utility Arrears
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RAFT can cover utilities as part of a housing crisis. Mass.gov says RAFT provides up to $7,000 per household in a rolling 12-month period for rent, utilities, moving costs, and mortgage payments.
Income eligibility is only one piece. The application still has to show the housing crisis and why the payment solves the problem. For utility arrears, that usually means a shutoff notice or another document showing the household is at risk of losing utilities.
This is where people get stuck. If someone has medical shutoff protection, the utility may not send an active shutoff notice while the protection is current. That can make the RAFT documentation path less clear, even if the arrears are real.
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Before RAFT Goes In
Why did the bill fall behind?
What changed now?
What can the household afford going forward?
Is the current monthly bill manageable?
Is there HEAP, a discount rate, or another program that lowers the bill after RAFT pays?
If RAFT pays part or all of the arrears, what keeps the same balance from building again?
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Worker move: For Springfield, Holyoke, and Northampton-area cases, Way Finders is the RAFT regional administering agency and housing center. Springfield Partners can also help Springfield residents complete the online RAFT application and upload documents. For utility-only RAFT cases, the household applies, and the utility provider is usually paid directly if approved.
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Path 3
No Protection, Work the Utility Assistance Doors
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Not every client will meet a shutoff protection category. That is when the work shifts to fuel assistance, discount rates, arrearage management, and payment arrangements.
Eversource and National Grid both have discount rate programs tied to public benefits and income eligibility, including programs such as HEAP, SNAP, SSI, MassHealth, TAFDC, EAEDC, WIC, public housing, and Chapter 115 veterans benefits. Ask for the discount rate directly. The client may already be eligible and not know it.
Formal payment plans can be hard because the down payment is often more than the person has. If the plan is not realistic, name that. A plan the household cannot pay is not much of a plan.
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Worker Move
If there is no protection, start with HEAP or recertification status, utility discount rate, arrearage management, and RAFT screening if there is a shutoff notice. If the person can only pay the current use plus a small extra amount, keep that in the plan while looking for a program that can actually reduce the arrears.
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Local Routing
The Doors I Would Keep Close
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For any Western Massachusetts utility shutoff case, I would keep these doors close. If a resource is named in the issue, the worker should have the phone number and link right there.
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Department of Public Utilities, Consumer Division
For regulated electric, gas, and water utility shutoff complaints, billing disputes, and utility refusal to work with the customer. Phone: (617) 737-2836 or (877) 886-5066. Email: [email protected]. Website.
Attorney General Consumer Advocacy and Response Division
For consumer complaints and help when a company issue needs another advocacy route. Address: One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108. Consumer Hotline: (617) 727-8400. Website.
Massachusetts 2-1-1
For general utility, fuel, emergency assistance, and local resource routing when the case does not fit one clean door. Phone: 2-1-1. Website.
State HEAP application portal
For starting or renewing a Home Energy Assistance Program application and finding the local fuel assistance agency. toapply.org.
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Valley Opportunity Council, Hampden County HEAP
For Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, Westfield, and Hampden County fuel assistance. Phone: (413) 552-1548. Main office: 35 Mt. Carmel Ave., Chicopee, MA 01013. Website.
Community Action Pioneer Valley, Hampshire and Franklin HEAP
For Northampton, Greenfield, Amherst, Franklin County, and Hampshire County fuel assistance. Phone: (413) 774-2310 or (800) 370-0940. Email: [email protected]. Greenfield office: 377 Main St., Greenfield, MA 01301. Northampton office: 155 Pleasant St., Northampton, MA 01060. Website.
Berkshire Community Action Council, Berkshire HEAP
For Pittsfield, North Adams, and Berkshire County fuel assistance. Pittsfield office: 1531 East St., Pittsfield, MA 01201, phone (413) 445-4503. North Adams office: 85 Main St., Suite 201, North Adams, MA 01247, phone (413) 663-3014. Website.
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Way Finders, RAFT and housing crisis assistance
For RAFT applications, overdue utilities connected to housing stability, and housing crisis assistance in the Hampden/Hampshire region. Address: 1780 Main St., Springfield, MA 01103. Phone: (413) 233-1500. Email: [email protected]. Website.
Springfield Partners for Community Action, RAFT application help
For Springfield residents who need help completing the online RAFT application and uploading documents for Way Finders. Address: 721 State St., Springfield, MA 01109. Phone: (413) 263-6500, option 8 for RAFT help. Website.
Community Legal Aid
For legal help when there is a utility dispute, landlord-utility issue, shutoff rights issue, or benefits/housing problem tied to the utility crisis. Springfield office: One Monarch Place, Suite 400, Springfield, MA 01144. Phone: (413) 781-7814 or (855) 252-5342. Website.
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The First Call Script
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"I'm calling with the customer about a disconnect notice. We need to confirm the shutoff date, screen for shutoff protections, and ask what options are available to keep service on. There may be financial hardship in the household. Can you tell us what protections, payment plans, discount rates, or arrearage programs are available on this account?"
If there is a serious illness: "There is a serious illness in the home. What do you need today to place serious illness protection on the account, and what written certification has to follow?"
If there is an infant: "There is a child under 12 months old living in the home. What documentation do you need to place infant protection on the account?"
If the client is older: "Every adult in the home is 65 or older. Can you confirm whether DPU approval would be required before termination?"
If the utility refuses to explain the route: "Please note that we are trying to prevent termination and understand the customer's rights. If we cannot resolve this with you, we may need to call the DPU Consumer Division while the customer is present."
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Sources: Mass.gov shutoff protections · 220 CMR 25.03 · Mass.gov RAFT · Eversource discount rate · National Grid discount rate · Way Finders RAFT · Springfield Partners RAFT
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