Newspaper: Duke cutting off service more often this year

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — A review of state records shows Duke Energy is shutting off service to more customers this year because they can’t pay their bills.
The Charlotte Observer reviewed records on Duke, the largest utility in the Carolinas.
The newspaper reported Friday that Duke disconnected 14 percent more North Carolina customers in the first four months of the year, compared with the same period in 2007. That’s an average of more than 500 disconnections every working day among the company’s 1.8 million customers.
Duke’s Andy Thompson says the utility tries to work with customers to set up payments to allow customers to catch up. State law allows utilities to shut off service after three months of missed payments.
Duke says up to 85 percent of customers get service restored the next day, after paying a reconnection fee.