During lockdown electricity companies temporarily stopped all disconnections for non-paying customers, but with lockdown over the disconnections are starting again. Some big power companies have ended the no disconnections policy they brought in under lockdown. But Barnett felt power companies resuming disconnections was not appropriate as job-losses mounted, and many households had suffered income drops, and faced high levels of uncertainty. Barnett said along with rent and food, power was an absolute fundamental of life, and power companies needed to work with politicians and support agencies like budgeting services to come up with plan to ensure disconnections did not take place. Power companies said they had reviewed their disconnection policies, and they were now more lenient than before Covid-19 struck.

Source: Stuff May 27, 2020 18:02 UTC