Customer with medical equipment faces disconnection over a weekend

Published on 26 May 2026

Shelby* was having financial issues and was not making payments on her electricity account. Her home was disconnected due to the debt that she had gathered. Shelby’s son had a medical condition which was managed by powered medical equipment at home. Concerned about her son’s health, she contacted her provider the next day to get reconnected.

Shelby’s electricity provider said she would need to set-up a payment plan to get reconnected which she agreed to. However, because she lived in a rural area the provider had until the next business day to reconnect her home. As it was a Friday, this meant reconnection would be on the Monday and Shelby and her son would have to go a whole weekend without power.

Shelby urgently contacted us for help. 

Here's how EWOQ helped

We launched an investigation and immediately contacted Shelby’s electricity provider. We found that her provider had given Shelby disconnection warnings, but she did not contact them until after her power had been disconnected. Additionally, Shelby’s home had not been registered for life support equipment. If it had been, she would have had more protections against being disconnected.

Shelby had raised her son’s medical condition with her provider earlier that day. They sent her information on how to register her home for life support equipment which involves getting a doctor to complete a medical confirmation form.

We had a discussion with her electricity provider and came to an agreement that Shelby should be reconnected the same day due to her personal situation.  

Outcome

The electricity provider was able to speed up the reconnection process for Shelby and she had power back before the end of the day on Friday.

Shelby was relieved to have power back and thanked us for our assistance. She understood that she should get her home registered as having life support equipment to avoid further problems. 

What can you do?

It’s very important you contact your energy provider as soon as possible if you are struggling to pay your bills and have received disconnection notices. They can help you stay connected by offering payment plans and other financial hardship options. For more advice on disconnections, visit Disconnections.

If you have medical equipment at home that is used for life support you need to contact your energy provider to get your account registered. Read more about Protecting homes with life support equipment.

*name changed to protect privacy.