NEWS: California is dialing up ratepayer heat protections.

Temp check: California IOUs can no longer shut off power to delinquent customers in 100-degree-Fahrenheit heat, as ordered by a recent CPUC vote. The new cutoff: 90 degrees. This decision follows two years of advocacy from consumer group Utility Reform Network.

Next steps: Within six months, these utilities must introduce region-specific temperature thresholds by taking local context (like the number of seniors and children in a community) into account.