Cities save homes from frozen pipes

Dozens of cities are checking homes with heat shutoffs this winter, making use of lists that utilities are now required to provide upon a city's request.

Brooklyn Park has one of the largest response programs that uses lists provided under a state law amended last session. The lists inform cities of heat shutoffs, often in vacant, foreclosed homes, so city workers can protect homes from frozen water pipes and copper pipe theft.

Sixty-five of the 260 cities served by CenterPoint Energy have requested the lists, said Becca Virden, spokeswoman for CenterPoint, the state's largest natural gas supplier.

Brooklyn Park, which had more than 40 ice-damaged vacant homes last winter, worked with legislators and the League of Minnesota Cities to get the law passed. It seems to be working well, said Hue Nguyen, a league lobbyist. She said the league has heard from St. Paul, Bloomington, Stillwater and others who obtained the lists from gas and electric utilities.

Since Brooklyn Park received a shutoff list in mid-October, more than 500 vacant homes, some foreclosed by out-of-state banks, have had city water turned off, said finance director Cory Kampf. He said about 15 homes suffered frozen pipes this winter, a number of them during subzero weather in January, compared with 44 last year.

The city was working with 28 homeowners with shutoffs at the end of December and "we got the gas back on for 26," said Jason Newby, a housing code enforcement manager. He said the other two were unlicensed rental homes that were deemed unsafe and the inhabitants moved in with relatives.

Newby said engineering technicians worked with city water utility and code enforcement officials to find owners and get water turned off in vacant homes, including eight more homes with gas shutoffs CenterPoint reported in January.

When Brooklyn Park or CenterPoint energy officials visit shutoff homes, they offer information on assistance available from the utility or other agencies. Many low-income residents get help with their heat bills from federal energy assistance funds distributed by community action agencies, such as the Community Action Program for Suburban Hennepin County (CAPSH).

Brooklyn Park has the largest shutoff response program of the 45 Hennepin County suburbs and townships served by CAPSH, said Jennifer Romero, assistant energy assistance coordinator for the agency. Minneapolis officials are still working out a response program, but so far firefighters are visiting rental buildings of four or more units with shutoffs, said Fire Marshal Bryan Tyner.

Last winter, Brooklyn Park led Hennepin suburbs with 1,421 households that received low-income energy assistance, Romero said. Bloomington was second with 1,200 households.

Cheri DeCarlo of Bloomington is a homeowner who has faced possible gas shutoff. The single woman fell behind on gas bills because she lost her full-time job. CenterPoint sent her a letter 13 months ago and she called the utility.

DeCarlo, 52, said her CenterPoint contact has been very understanding. He helped her get energy assistance, which lasted a few months until she found another good job. She is still on a utility plan to pay $68 a month.

Gas prices have helped people

Although temperatures have been lower than normal in the past two months, lower natural gas prices and higher federal heating grants have helped more people avoid gas shutoffs.

CenterPoint reported 3,612 residential shutoffs statewide on Jan. 31, about 1,300 fewer than a year ago, said spokeswoman Becca Virden. She said the company had nearly $40 million in delinquent bills, nearly 20 percent less than a year ago.

However, Xcel, which provides gas in the St. Paul area, saw shutoffs increase to 668 properties on Jan. 31, more than double a year ago. The shutoffs affected only a handful of occupied homes where someone illegally tampered with the gas meter, said spokesman Pat Boland.

The shutoff notification law requires utilities to provide a list of buildings that had heat shut off during warmer months by Nov. 1, and to provide requested list updates through April 15.

"Everybody wanted to sign the bill because it [water damage] is a waste of resources," Brown said. "I sent a note to our legislators thanking them. It saved a lot of damage to property, no doubt about it."