Electric disconnections in Delaware, 2024
Delaware ranks 22nd of 51, 1st being the highest rate. The Delaware total is 30,536 disconnections on about 492,063 accounts, 3.2 per 100 below the U.S. rate of 9.4. It also counts 116,579 final-notice events. Events, not homes: an account cut off twice counts twice.
Delaware month by month
Delaware: September peaked at 3,491 disconnections, December bottomed at 1,197. Per 100 Delaware accounts the monthly rate ran from 0.24 (December) to 0.71 (September). Delaware averaged 0.32 a month in December to February and 0.59 in June to August: summer ran 1.9 times winter.
Delaware disconnections per month, 2024
- 1,628Jan
- 1,844Feb
- 2,360Mar
- 2,878Apr
- 3,009May
- 3,420Jun
- 2,413Jul
- 2,844Aug
- 3,491Sep
- 3,407Oct
- 2,047Nov
- 1,197Dec
| Month | Delaware final notices | Delaware disconnections | Delaware reconnections | Delaware accounts | Delaware per 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 10,451 | 1,628 | 1,334 | 488,935 | 0.33 |
| February | 11,136 | 1,844 | 1,498 | 489,400 | 0.38 |
| March | 10,359 | 2,360 | 1,889 | 489,998 | 0.48 |
| April | 11,115 | 2,878 | 2,253 | 490,743 | 0.59 |
| May | 10,297 | 3,009 | 2,582 | 491,473 | 0.61 |
| June | 8,254 | 3,420 | 2,829 | 491,768 | 0.70 |
| July | 9,963 | 2,413 | 1,962 | 492,604 | 0.49 |
| August | 10,886 | 2,844 | 2,477 | 492,985 | 0.58 |
| September | 11,037 | 3,491 | 2,944 | 493,656 | 0.71 |
| October | 10,280 | 3,407 | 2,795 | 494,086 | 0.69 |
| November | 7,772 | 2,047 | 1,986 | 494,119 | 0.41 |
| December | 5,028 | 1,197 | 1,191 | 494,993 | 0.24 |
| Year | 116,579 | 30,536 | 25,740 | 492,063 (mean) | 6.21 (yearly) |
Scale Delaware to your town
Statewide rate for Delaware: 6.21 per 100. A single utility can sit far from it.
Delaware utilities that reported
Delaware: 5 utilities reported. They sum to 28,753 of the 30,536 disconnections in the state total; Delmarva Power alone reported 19,833 (65%).
4 Delaware utilities have 5,000+ accounts and twelve months of data. Their rates run from 1.6 (Delaware Electric Cooperative) to 34.1 (Town Of Middletown - (DE)) per 100.
| Delaware utility | Disconnections | Avg accounts | Per 100 | Final notices | Reconnections | Months |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delmarva Power | 19,833 | 302,040 | 6.6 | 57,660 | 16,238 | 12 of 12 |
| City Of Dover - (DE) | at least 3,580 (11 months) | Not published | No rate | 5,217 | Not published | 11 of 12 |
| Town Of Middletown - (DE) | 3,089 | 9,071 | 34.1 | Not published | 3,069 | 12 of 12 |
| Delaware Electric Cooperative | 1,927 | 118,328 | 1.6 | 32,925 | 1,414 | 12 of 12 |
| City Of Newark - (DE) | 324 | 13,440 | 2.4 | 9,999 | 314 | 12 of 12 |
Delaware against its neighbours
Delaware sits in the South Atlantic division. Its 8 division peers average 9.9 per 100; the highest is Florida at 20.6 and the lowest Maryland at 3.4. Delaware is 3.7 below the division average.
| Delaware borders | Rank of 51 | Per 100 | Gap to Delaware | Times Delaware | Final notices per 100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 29th | 4.7 | -1.5 | 0.75x | 21.3 |
| New Jersey | 37th | 3.5 | -2.8 | 0.56x | 65.9 |
| Maryland | 39th | 3.4 | -2.8 | 0.55x | 71.2 |
Closest in the ranking to Delaware: Idaho 6.3, New Mexico 6.3, South Dakota 6.0, Indiana 5.9.
How firm the Delaware number is
Delaware response rate: 94.9% weighted by size, 83.3% by count. Utilities reported 28,753; EIA's adjustment is +1,783 (+5.8% of 30,536). Largest monthly relative standard error, Delaware: 17.9%. EIA flags no Delaware month. Flag codes and method.
Shutoff rule read for Delaware
| Delaware rule | What the text says |
|---|---|
| Cold weather | Heating season Nov 15 to Mar 31 (3002-2.0). No termination for non-payment on a day when the NWS 8:00 A.M. temperature at a Delaware location within 50 miles of the dwelling is 32 F or below. |
| Hot weather | Cooling season is Jun 1 to Sep 30 (3002-2.0). No termination on a day when the 8:00 A.M. NWS forecast predicts a heat index within 50 miles of 105 F or higher. |
| Protected customers | If any occupant is so ill that termination would adversely affect health or recovery, certified by a licensed Delaware physician or accredited Christian Science practitioner, termination is prohibited (cites 26 Del.C. 117(d)); utility employee must not disconnect after receiving certification. |
| Notice before disconnection | During heating or cooling season: written notice (first-class mail to billing address) at least 14 calendar days before termination; heating season also at least 2 documented phone attempts on separate days (one after 6 P.M.); cooling season at least 1 phone attempt. Heating season: notice also to occupant if billing address differs. |
| Payment plans | Notice must offer initial installment agreement: current bills plus monthly installments over a period not less than that during which the arrears were incurred, with interest per tariff; and list charitable or governmental assistance organizations. |
| Complaints | Notice must name the utility office to report a good-faith billing dispute; termination not allowed pending the dispute. Burden of proof of compliance is on the utility in a PSC proceeding; fine up to twice the arrearage, max $1,000 per day (3002-7.0). |
Read: 26 Del. Admin. Code 3002 (Regulations Governing Termination of Residential Electric or Natural Gas Service by Public Utilities for Non-Payment During Extreme Seasonal Temperature Conditions), esp. 3002-3.0 and 3002-6.0, checked 2026-10-02. 3002-2.0: covered utility means any utility regulated by the Delaware PSC that supplies electric or natural gas to a dwelling unit. Co-op/muni treatment not stated in text read.
Not legal advice; check your Delaware notice.
Help in Delaware
Delaware LIHEAP eligibility as listed: Heating, Cooling, Crisis, & Weatherization: 60% State Median Income.
Delaware benefits as listed: Heating: $100 minimum, $2,464 maximum Cooling: $1 minimum, $1,000 maximum Crisis: $10,000 maximum.
What this means for you in Delaware
- Delaware had 116,579 final notices and 30,536 disconnections: 26 disconnections per 100 notices. A notice is not a disconnection.
- Delaware reconnections ran at 84 per 100 disconnections. The data give no time to restore.
- Cold-weather rule in Delaware, as we read it: Heating season Nov 15 to Mar 31 (3002-2.0). No termination for non-payment on a day when the NWS 8:00 A.M. temperature at a Delaware location within 50 miles of the dwelling is 32 F or below. September was the busiest Delaware month by count.
- To contest a Delaware notice: Notice must name the utility office to report a good-faith billing dispute; termination not allowed pending the dispute. Burden of proof of compliance is on the utility in a PSC proceeding.
- Cannot pay in full? Ask your Delaware utility for a payment plan, then the LIHEAP office above.
More
Sources
Form EIA-112, Residential Utility Disconnection Survey, calendar year 2024, EIA release page (released 2026-04-14, file retrieved 2026-10-07). Utility file: electric utility-level workbook; report: 2024 Residential Utility Disconnections Report. Monthly CSV
Questions
How many electric disconnections were there in Delaware in 2024?
30,536 in Delaware, of which utilities reported 28,753. That is 6.2 per 100 accounts, 22nd of 51.
Does 6.2 per 100 mean 6% of Delaware homes lost service?
No. The 30,536 Delaware disconnections are events; a home cut off twice counts twice. EIA gives no count of distinct Delaware homes.
Which month had the most disconnections in Delaware?
September, with 3,491. December had 1,197.
How many Delaware utilities have a yearly rate?
4 of 5. The rest left a month blank or share a name with another row.