Missouri's Cold Weather Rule took effect Nov. 1, but the state's best-known protection against winter utility shutoffs covers few of the homes in Macon County.
The rule, enforced by the Missouri Public Service Commission, runs from Nov. 1 through March 31. It bars utilities from cutting off heat-related service on any day when temperatures are forecast to drop below 32 degrees between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. during the next 72 hours, according to an Oct. 30 commission release. Senate Bill 4, passed in 2025, lengthened that forecast window from 24 hours to 72 hours.
Customers covered by the rule also get more lenient payment terms, longer payment plans, and extra notice before a disconnection, the commission said. Customers who are disabled or over 65 may register with their utility for added help.
The rule applies only to utilities the commission regulates. Municipally operated systems, cooperatives, and propane delivered by truck are not under commission jurisdiction, according to the commission's guide to the rule.
In Macon County, most homes get their heat from providers in those three groups.
The commission's online utility locator lists the city of Macon, whose system is Macon Municipal Utilities, as the electric and natural gas provider in Macon, and the city of La Plata as the electric provider in La Plata. Macon Electric Cooperative is listed as the electric provider for the other Macon County towns in the locator, including Atlanta, Bevier, Callao, Ethel, Elmer, and New Cambria. The only commission-regulated heating provider the locator lists in the county is Liberty Utilities, which supplies natural gas in La Plata.
About 38.1 percent of Macon County's 6,067 occupied homes heat mainly with electricity, 30.1 percent with utility gas, 24.4 percent with propane, and about 6 percent with wood, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates for 2020 through 2024 that the Macon Chronicle reported on Oct. 21. Propane, wood, municipal power and gas, and cooperative power are all outside the rule.
Macon Electric Cooperative's published terms do not include a temperature-based shutoff pause. Bills are due in full by the date on the statement, and a 5 percent penalty on energy charges is added after that date, according to the cooperative. Service is disconnected if a bill is not paid in full, or a delayed-payment arrangement made, within 20 calendar days of the due date. A $35 collection fee is charged before reconnection, and reconnecting outside business hours costs $100.
Members who need more time can request a payment arrangement, which gives them one week past the scheduled cutoff date, according to the cooperative. The request must be made before the cutoff, members are limited to three arrangements per account each calendar year, and anyone who defaults on an arrangement cannot get another one for 12 months.
Macon Municipal Utilities' website does not post a winter disconnection policy.
The commission advises customers who cannot pay a heat-related bill in full to contact the utility, say they cannot pay the full amount, provide any required eligibility documents, make a minimum payment if one is required, and enter a payment agreement if eligible. Its Consumer Services hotline is 1-800-392-4211.
Help is also available through the state's Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which in Macon County is handled by the Northeast Community Action Corporation, or NECAC, at 573-564-4002. The program's Energy Crisis Intervention Program helps households that have a disconnect notice, or propane users whose tank is less than 20 percent full. Winter crisis help runs November through May, as funding allows, and tops out at $800, according to the Missouri Department of Social Services. Applications are available at mydss.mo.gov, by mail, or through NECAC.