Con Ed is asking the Public Service Commission to approve a rate increase, which would begin in January 2016. Photo Courtesy of coned.com.
Consolidated Edison has requested a rate hike for 2016 from the New York State Public Service Commission, which would amount to a nearly $4 per month bill increase for the average consumer. Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D- Ozone Park) is urging the Commission to reject Con Ed’s proposal.
According to the utility company, residential customers throughout Con Ed’s New York City and Westchester service area would see average bill increases of 3.2 percent, and 7.2 percent increases for delivery. What this translates to: typical NYC residents using 300 kWh of electricity would see their monthly bills rise from around $82 to about $86.
“On average, I pay $200 a month in winter and as much as $300 in summer. I am a retiree on a fixed income and my electrical costs keep going up,” said Nicholas Neuhaus of Howard Beach.
The proposed rates would begin January 1, 2016 and would support system reliability, storm hardening, better technology, and online service enhancements. It would be the company’s first rate increase since April 1, 2012 and would generate $368 million – funding, notably, a multi-year smart meter plan utilizing innovative and renewable technologies. Smart meters allow utilities to address many customer needs remotely, and customers are able to use them to better manage their electric consumption.
Assemblyman Goldfeder and other critics of the proposal cite declining fuel costs as reason for the Public Service Commission to reject Con Edison’s proposal. Goldfeder pointed out that, taking into account the lower costs of oil and natural gas used to generate electricity, Con Edison stands to generate higher revenues per customer than the proposal projects.
“With fuel costs continuing to drop, it makes no sense to raise utility rates now, “said Goldfeder. “Our public utilities should not be in the business of increasing their bottom line at the expense of families struggling to make ends meet.”
By Eugénie Bisulco
