Deadly Temperatures: Municipal Governance, Seasonal Protection Gaps, and Energy Utility Disconnections in New York City
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charno-ercharno-mcp-dusp-2026-thesis.pdf
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89a8ae7cdd1a47172250fd219f377ad2
Author(s)
Charno, Emilia
Advisor(s)
Hsu, David
Date Issued
May 2026
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Increasing levels of energy insecurity across the United States prompt renewed examination of utility consumer protections. A proxy metric of energy insecurity, utility disconnection is the practice of disconnecting customers from utility service during periods of sustained non-payment. The principal venue for protecting utility consumers is state government, given its primary role in regulating investor-owned utilities, but disconnection practices and corresponding protections vary by state. This thesis will assess the role of New York City in responding to gaps in protections for utility disconnections, specifically along the lines of extreme heat, procedure, information asymmetry, and account-based protections. Situating this analysis in New York City reveals many of the gaps and tensions between energy transition, affordability, and social services provisions. This thesis conducts novel analysis of longitudinal customer and sales data from New York City’s Consolidated Edison, Inc. (the largest investor-owned utility in New York State), descriptive data from the NYC311 call system, and New York State protections in statute and program. This thesis finds that coldweather protections and benefits, themselves insufficient to meet heating demand, are more readily available through legacy infrastructure than warm-weather protections and benefits. Moreover, existing practices serve to push disconnection activity to warm-weather months, increasing pressure for utilities and utility consumers alike. In response, this thesis proposes a framework of municipal response tools by combining empirical results with primary stakeholder interviews in the New York City context. This issue extends to discussions of extreme heat governance, advanced metering infrastructure, tenant-landlord gaps, and other implications of eliminating utility disconnections. The thesis concludes that utility disconnections under intensifying climactic conditions are unsustainable and therefore recommends a model for expanded municipal involvement within current regulatory dynamics in New York City.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning
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