AARP Texas Petitions Texas PUC To Require Lower Initial Payment, Longer Time Period For REP Deferred Payment Plans

AARP Texas petitioned the Texas PUC for an emergency rule to lower the initial payment amount required under a deferred payment plan with a retail electric provider, and to extend the time over which the customer must pay the deferred balance

AARP Texas proposed that, for deferred payment plans entered into between June 24, 2021 and August 17, 2021, the PUC should require an initial payment of no greater than 33% of the amount due, and that the deferred amount should be paid by the customer in equal installments over at least 9 billing cycles unless the customer agrees to fewer installments.

"Petitioner is deeply concerned about residential electricity customers who have built up insurmountably high unpaid balances during the near four month disconnection moratorium," AARP Texas said

"Customers may have built up significantly higher unpaid balances than during normal times. It must be remembered that once a moratorium is lifted, customers with unpaid balances are again responsible for paying their current month's balance and amounts associated with a deferred payment plan to avoid disconnection," AARP Texas said

Project 51812