Elizabeth Healey is out cleaning houses when the meter reader shows up. She is unemployed, but takes cleaning jobs whenever she can. So she is in other people’s bathrooms and kitchens when the meter reader comes to her door in Pawtucket.

She gets estimated bills. And she joins thousands of other people in Rhode Island who look at their utility bills and see an ever widening gap between a vital need and their ability to pay for it. She worries about her 13-year-old son who couldn’t have his shower before school a few weeks ago because the gas had been shut off.

Her struggle with National Grid is like the struggle of so many others. It is a plea for compassion and common sense colored with a growing anger over what many see as a lopsided system favoring those with the power to shut off the heat and the lights. Rate hikes are granted. Relief is not.

Then, of course, there’s the Wall Street bailout. There’s something about seeing irresponsible billionaires getting a government handout at the same time that the shutoff man is at the door that really galls some people. It only underscores a growing disparity.

A meeting of the Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission on Wednesday turned into a showcase for the anger and frustration that will only get worse if measures aren’t put in place to avoid utility shutoffs. It is an economic problem and a public health problem. And it is a challenge to state government to reach a reasonable balance between business demands and basic human need.

Before the PUC was a proposal to allow all gas and electric customers to keep their service on or have it restarted with the payment of 10 percent of their outstanding balance. They would agree to a payment plan to cover the rest.

The proposal is supported by the George Wiley Center in Pawtucket where the staff has become a rolling response team, moving from one shutoff victim to another — trying to break down the often intimidating distance between the consumer, National Grid and the PUC.

Wednesday’s meeting provided what was for some the most hostile environment they have ever seen at a public meeting.

One woman warned that people with guns would be coming through the door if something isn’t done.

One man yelled “greed,” loudly, several times. There was talk of a “tipping point.”

“Throw the people some crumbs,” said a member of the audience.

The PUC did not act on the proposal. It is expected to do so in the next few days.

Meanwhile, back in Pawtucket, Elizabeth Healey found out just how tangled the process can be when the shutoff happens. She got a bill for $2,800 from National Grid. She called the company to ask how it could possibly be that high with just her and her son in the house. She had recently paid $300. She says she was told she had to pay the full amount or face shutoff. She borrowed $1,200 from a neighbor. It wasn’t enough. She was shut off for three days. She was shut off until the indomitable Henry Shelton and the people at the George Wiley Center got on the case and arranged for gas to be restored. But there is still an uncertainty hanging over the cold days ahead.

It shouldn’t work this way. Heating and lighting a house should not be a constant emergency situation. In these frightening times especially, there should at least be an attempt not to add to public fears.

The proposal before the PUC seems perfectly reasonable.

bkerr@projo.com