In response to National Grid’s recent public explanation of higher electric bills, the utility has confirmed what families across upstate New York are experiencing and what I have been raising concerns about: delivery charges are a major reason electric bills are rising.

According to National Grid’s own statements:

• National Grid claims colder weather increases energy usage.
  That claim does not explain why many customers are seeing higher bills even when they conserve energy and keep thermostats at the same levels as previous years.
• National Grid points to fluctuating supply costs.
  Supply prices change regularly and do not account for the scale of the increases customers are now experiencing.
• National Grid acknowledges delivery charges are a major factor.
  • Delivery charges now make up approximately 60 percent of the total bill
  • A Public Service Commission–approved three-year rate plan increased delivery charges by 18 to 20 percent
  • These charges continue to rise even when energy usage declines
• These increases are built into the current rate structure.
  Customers can turn down the heat, invest in efficiency, and use less energy — and still pay more because delivery charges are fixed and unavoidable.
• Responsibility is shifted onto customers.
  National Grid’s public messaging focuses on weather and customer behavior while avoiding accountability for how delivery charges are structured and approved.
• Profits are not addressed.
  National Grid’s explanation contains no discussion of profits or how the current system protects utility revenues while families struggle with rising bills.
• Customers have no alternative.
  National Grid operates as a regulated monopoly. Families cannot shop around or opt out of delivery charges when bills become unaffordable. 

In my view, the Public Service Commission irresponsibly approved a rate plan that allowed delivery charges to increase by nearly 20 percent without sufficient transparency or accountability to ratepayers. Families are now being forced to absorb those costs with no meaningful ability to avoid them.

That is why I am renewing my call for an independent investigation by the New York State Comptroller into National Grid’s delivery charges, cost-recovery practices, and profits. It is also why my legislation is needed to ensure the Legislature has the final say on whether utility rate hikes are approved.

Families deserve transparency, fairness, and real oversight – not explanations that deflect responsibility and leave the system unchanged.

🔗 https://cbs6albany.com/news/ask-cbs6/national-grid-explains-why-your-electric-bills-have-gone-up