Thoughtlessness Crosses All Boundaries

[rowyn]

pyat linked to this article about a 93 year-old man who froze to death after the utility company put a limiter on his service due to non-payment. Two things in particular, apart from the obvious "wow that sucks", struck me about it:

* This is a public utility run by the city.
* Private utilities are regulated by Michigan state law and cannot shut off service to senior citizens between November and April.

And it's just ... ngh! The trouble with organizations is that whether they're public or private, they're still run by people.

*sigh*

Comments

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Though, it's possible the device might have been allowed even with a private firm. It's a "limiter," sort of like a "nag" on software. It's not quite the same as cutting off service entirely. It turns your heat off or way down, as I understand it, at certain periods, and must be reset by going outside and manually doing it.

Given the depth of snow and the cold we'd had lately, that's absurd in and of itself. Even if the man in question knew about the limiter (which isn't clear from the article), expecting a 93 year old to go out in the snow to reset it is simply cruel.

[rowyn]

Googling a little, I found an article that says the state regulators discourage limiters. "Discouragment" from a regulator is a more effective tool than you'd think, actually. But it sounds like they're not banned.