The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) is working with the Legislature to make the energy assistance program more robust and better. Stories of ratepayers struggling with bills were shared during a hearing of the PUC, the state's utility regulator, were highlighted by ratepayer advocacy group CUB Minnesota. One woman whose power was cut off after she had been heating her home off a generator after the local electric utility cut her service for nonpayment, another immigrant renter served an eviction notice for missing payments to the landlord's third-party utility billing company, and another who was unable to access state crisis assistance services. The numbers reveal that Minnesota gas and electric utilities disconnected 90,433 customers in 2025, with Xcel Energy leading the disconnection leader with 56,823 last year and CenterPoint Energy with 21,007. In order to avoid losing service, customers eligible for payment plans must agree on a reasonable payment plan given their financial circumstances. Other ratepayer groups are concerned about the end of the Cold Weather Rule period, which makes it more difficult for utilities to cut gas and electricity service during winter shutoffs during this period.