Duquesne Light Company: disconnection notice

Collect

• termination notice
• account number
• medical certificate from a licensed physician
• physician assistant or nurse practitioner
• household income documents

Steps

1. Call Duquesne Light at once and ask for a payment arrangement, or apply online.

   OnlinePayment arrangement online application

2. If your income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines, apply for CAP. Ask the Universal Services Center about a Hardship Fund grant or a LIHEAP Crisis grant.

   PhoneUniversal Services Center (CAP, Hardship Fund, CARES, LIHEAP help) +1-888-393-7600

3. If someone in the household is seriously ill, have a licensed physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner send a medical certificate. Keep paying what you can.

4. If no affordable arrangement is offered, call the PA PUC hotline (1-800-692-7380) before the shutoff date.

More contacts for this issue

Facts you can cite

• Policy

  Duquesne Light's bill says DLC may contact customers on the day of a scheduled disconnect for nonpayment, but it reaches out well before then.

  Source: duquesnelight.com, verified 2026-10-13

• Deadline

  Pennsylvania (PUC fact sheet, February 2026): before disconnection the utility sends a 10-day notice and attempts contact at least three days before the disconnection date. A termination notice is valid for 60 days; termination can occur any time between day 11 and day 60 after the notice.

  Source: puc.pa.gov, verified 2026-10-13

• Policy

  Pennsylvania (PUC fact sheet): the Winter Moratorium protects consumers from utility termination between December 1 and March 31, but service can be terminated in winter without PUC approval if the customer fails to be a responsible utility customer or has income outside the utility's income-qualifying guidelines.

  Source: puc.pa.gov, verified 2026-10-13

• Policy

  Pennsylvania (PUC fact sheet): service will not be disconnected while a household member is certified as seriously ill by a licensed physician, physician assistant or nurse practitioner. Initial medical certification can last up to 30 days, with extension of up to an additional 60 days. The customer must keep paying the bill.

  Source: puc.pa.gov, verified 2026-10-13

• Policy

  Pennsylvania (PUC fact sheet): the utility must offer one payment arrangement and may be required to offer another; the PUC may be able to establish one payment arrangement. The PUC cannot set a payment arrangement on CAP arrears.

  Source: puc.pa.gov, verified 2026-10-13

If that fails, escalate

Go up one step at a time. Keep the reference numbers and dates from each contact.

1. Customer service

   PhoneResidential customer service (TTY 711) +1-888-393-7100

2. Supervisor

   PhoneResidential customer service (TTY 711) +1-888-393-7100

   Duquesne Light does not publish a separate escalation line. Ask for a supervisor and a reference number.

3. Written complaint

   MailWritten correspondence (from the bill's "Contact us ... in writing" line) Duquesne Light Company, 411 7th Ave., Ste 3, Pittsburgh, PA 15219

4. State agency

   Your state’s utility commission. Find it in the list of state agencies (also as JSON: states/<code>.json, for example states/ny.json).

   Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC), 1-800-692-7380. The PUC says you must contact the utility before you file a complaint; use the informal complaint process first.

5. State agency

   Your state’s attorney general. Find it in the list of state agencies (also as JSON: states/<code>.json, for example states/ny.json).

   Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection (1-800-441-2555, per a 2019 Duquesne Light release).

Watch out

Related

• Disconnection notice at other companies
• Electric and gas utilities — how complaints work
• Duquesne Light Company: billing error
• Duquesne Light Company: payment plan or bill assistance
• Duquesne Light Company: outage credit