1. Public Utility Law Project of New York
Shine a Light on your utility rights: non-traditional public education on the home energy fair practices act (Art. 2 of the PSL)
Public Utility Law Project of New York

2. Public Utility Law Project of NY, Inc.
Phone: (877) – Toll Free
FAX: (877) – Toll Free
Mail: 90 S. Swan St., Suite 305, Albany, New York 12210

3. THREE SOURCES to learn about utility consumer rights
Art. 2 of the Public Service Law – sections (
Public Service Commission Regs - 16 New York Code, Rules & Regs. Part 11 (
PULP’s Know Your Rights Manual - Ch. 1 on HEFPA

4. Article 2 of the PSL

5. Article 2, sec. 37 of the PSL

6. 16 NYCRR Part 11.10

7. PULP’s Chapter on HEFPA

8. We realized we needed change

9. And enlisted focus groups in a 12 month process & 14 drafts

10. In 2016, pulp partnered with the center for urban pedagogy to make utility policy accessible
8 panels/pages; opens into a wall poster for use by constituent service reps, public interest attorneys, self-help

11. The shine-a-light brochure gives a simple message, then details
All key concepts are expressed in plain English with pictures, in 5 panels

12. What is pulp’s mission? Educate; Advocate; and Litigate
On behalf of low/fixed-income New York Utility consumers (primarily)
We have wide latitude in choosing how to effect our mission

13. NYS’s Unaffordability Crisis
NYS’ electric and gas utilities issued 7.2 million shutoff notices in 2014
1,037,651 residential customers owed $800 million in 60- day+ arrears in 2015
service was terminated as a bill collection measure to 295,797 customers statewide in (Note: a customer = 3 people)
Con Edison mailed 2.8 million shutoff notices and shut off service to 82,000 customers in 2014

14. Pulp’s education strategies
In 2016, we conducted Know Your Rights Trainings and CLEs for roughly 300 groups and individuals/attorneys (see, report-public-utility-law-project-of-new-york/)
In 2017, we gave a CLE on HEFPA for the State Legislature & attorneys, the AG and agency attorneys – a total of 300 government servants

15. Pulp’s education strategies - continued -
In every meeting with State, Municipal and Local elected officials we give them copies of Shine a Light and our annual report
In every CLE or KYR training, we give out copies of Shine a Light
In every Utility Clinic, we give out copies of Shine a Light

16. Pulp’s education strategies - next steps -
We are having Shine a Light translated into Spanish, French, Creole, Russian and Chinese
We are adapting Shine a Light so that public officials can add their picture and contact info and mail it out as “their” constituent material
We are adding it to our “Why & How You Should Intervene in Rate & Policy Cases” trainings

17. Our partners in the struggle

18. Public Utility Law Project of NY, Inc.
Phone: (877) – Toll Free
Mail: 90 S. Swan St., Suite 401, Albany, New York 12210