The generator was less expensive than the electric bill?
Often in colder areas states have laws that the utilities cant be disconnected for nonpayment between November and March. Once Nov hits, they can stop paying, use as much as they want, not pay anything, and then come April 1 or whenever it is allowed, it gets turned off and wont be reconnected until the $500 to $2000 owed is paid in full. This is frequently considered a good time to move, and get a new place with the lights already on.
Quite possibly it was. I've seen no mention of other forms of heat and in a small house with Delmarva power his bill was perhaps $600 a month. Fall behind and from what I have heard, they will not relent unless the ENTIRE back bill is paid (no partial payments accepted).
I think the reason the utility is being questioned is because he had not been seen since March 28 and per state law the power can not be shut off before March 31.
The guy was a kitchen worker at the state university, divorced with custody of all 7 children.
Sometimes you can borrow or rent a generator. But once the electricity is turned off, getting it turned back on is very difficult. The utility will want not only the entire balance but a reconnect fee and a big deposit. This might not be attainable for a man who had so many children to support. I don’t blame the utility company; they can’t know that there are children involved unless they are told.
It’s been unusually cold in Maryland, as in much of the East. Normally we would not need heat in April. The father might have been trying to make it through the last few weeks until heat was no longer necessary. What a terrible sorrow.
You would be surprised at how many people don’t know about the dangers of using a generator. When we had a long power outage during the winter, some of the brilliant, highly-educated professional men in my community went to Home Depot and bought generators. Because the noise was irritating and they were worried about theft, they put the generators in the garage, right beneath the master bedroom, or in the basement. Ostensibly intelligent people! The cops finally came around banging on doors and telling them to STOP THAT. So if these geniuses didn’t have the common sense to know they were risking death, yes, I can see that this sad man might not have known that you don’t run a generator indoors.
I don’t know anything about generators — the DH is in charge of all the boy-type stuff — but I saw one recently on sale locally for $250.