House Bill 326, which would have created both winter and summer temperature standards for disconnections, stalled in the Legislature earlier this year.
Sarah Pierce, housing and energy affordability program coordinator for the Metropolitan Housing Coalition, said extreme heat is detrimental to people's health, especially for older adults and young children. She added when people lose access to electricity, they can fall behind at work or rack up medical bills.
"It is going to cause heat stress, heat illness," Pierce pointed out. "People will not have enough ventilation. It can affect not only physically, but mentally as well."
In 2022, the number of Kentuckians whose power was disconnected increased by more than 200%, compared to around a 30% increase nationwide, according to data from the Energy and Policy Institute and Center for Biological Diversity.
The Trump administration wants to completely eliminate funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program or "LIHEAP" beginning this fall. Pierce noted around 220,000 Kentuckians relied on the program last year alone for help paying utility bills.
"With cuts to LIHEAP, a lot of Kentuckians rely on this funding to help pay for their energy bills," Pierce observed. "Without this funding, we may see disconnections increase."
Pierce stressed that the effects of disconnecting utilities in extreme weather have ripple effects on entire communities.
"This is about health," Pierce asserted. "This is about being able to have your children be able to do their schoolwork at night. It's being able to cook, make food for your family."
Some Kentuckians could see hefty increases on energy bills next year if the Kentucky Public Service Commission approves proposed rate hikes by LG&E and KU. The companies said the increases they seek are due to rising operational costs and maintenance.