In the article I had read, they didn't shut off the power. They'd installed a limiter, like a master circuit-breaker that would cut out anytime he used more than a minimal allowance of power. I don't know what the limit was, but I suspect it would have been enough to keep the temperature at a liveable level, if not necesarily a cozy one. Apparently the device had cut out and he didn't know how to reset the device.
article
Quote:
...Several days before his death, the city had placed a device on Marvin Schur's home that shuts off electricity if a certain limit is exceeded, said a city official.
The device, installed because of unpaid bills, can be reset by the homeowner. For some reason, Schur had failed to reset it after it shut down his power...
...Neighbors said they didn't believe the city had explained to Schur that he could reset the device. And even if it did, Schur might suffer from dementia and have trouble following directions, they said...
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Further reading of the article posted by Larry tells me that they leave the limiter there for 10 days then just cut the power. If the neighbors suspected something wasn't quite right they should have checked up on it. But then the term neighbor is used much more loosely now than it used to be. Used to be a neighbor wasn't just the guy who lived next to you, but someone you knew, conversed with, and helped/got help from.
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