Winter may be here by Friday with a few inches of snow in the forecast, and families struggling to keep up with their utility bills have options to avoid a shutoff.

The rules surrounding utility disconnections change slightly in the winter months to allow more protection for consumers that may be behind on their bills.

The winter period begins Thursday and continues through March 31.

“The big benefit of the winter rules is the requirement that utility companies make extra flexibility in their payment arrangement systems,” said Stephen Tower, a staff attorney in New Hampshire Legal Assistance’s Concord office.

“In order to maintain service, (financial-hardship customers) are only required to pay 10 percent of the monthly balance during the duration of the winter period, or 10 percent of the total balance due in future projected monthly bills.”

Customers may qualify for financial-hardship status if they are enrolled in a financial assistance program through state or local government or a government-funded agency, according to the New Hampshire Public Utility Commission.

These are the rules for all residential customers where an electric utility may not shut off their service during the winter period:

■If the customer has electric, gas or steam heat and the balance owed is less than $450.

■If the customer does not use electricity for heating and the balance owed is less than $225.

■If the customer does not use gas for heating and the balance owed is less than $125.

Utility companies are required to seek approval from the PUC before disconnecting service to a residential customer that is known to be 65 or older or has a known financial hardship.

In order to be disconnected, the utility first has to make contact in person or by phone with an adult member of the household at least two days before the shutoff, Tower said.

“If the utility is unable to notify the person, they need to seek approval from the commission to do a shutoff and provide all sorts of information on who lives there,” he said.

If a customer is having any trouble with paying their bill, Tower said they should first contact the utility and seek a payment arrangement. If they believe the offer they receive is one they can’t maintain, they can file a complaint with the PUC.

A customer who is under financial hardship and cannot meet the 10 percent minimum should contact the local welfare office in their community, Tower said. If that fails, it might be time to contact an attorney.

“If somebody is facing disconnection or has been disconnected and can’t work out a solution with the utility or get financial assistance from local welfare, they should come to us,” Tower said.

More information on the winter disconnection rules can be found at puc.nh.gov.

(Nick Stoico can be reached at 369-3321, nstoico@cmonitor.com or on Twitter @NickStoico.)