30% INCREASE IN ELECTRIC BILLS!

HARTFORD, CT – State Senator Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock) released the following statement about the Eversource supply charge for electricity increasing by about 30% for Standard Service customers starting January 1st. This increase will only impact customers on Standard Service; if a customer has a third-party supplier, starting January 1st, they won’t be impacted.

“Electric bills remain too high. Connecticut has a bad record of having the third-highest costs in electricity in the nation. We fall behind Hawaii, which is an island, and things are expensive there, and California. There is no plausible reason as to why residents should be forced to pay the 3rd highest utility bills.

Although the supply charge on electric bills is mandatory as a pass-through on what Eversource pays to buy electricity on the open market, it highlights that the state government is not doing enough to address the ongoing Affordability Crisis in CT. For years, I’ve worked alongside my Republican colleagues to demand and persistently push for relief. Hard-working people, families, retirees, small businesses, non-profits, and municipalities deserve to keep upfront more of what they earn instead of watching their utility bills climb higher and higher with no explanation, burning up their finances.

This ongoing effort resulted in a slight reduction in customers’ bills, which came from Senate Bill 4, but this is far from a sustainable solution. S.B. 4 includes $100 million in savings from the public benefits taxes on electric bills. There is another $100 million in savings from transmission delivery charges. Overall, the real savings to ratepayers are $200 million. I am proud to have supported this legislation, but I will keep pushing for a greater reduction for ratepayers. The public benefit taxes should be removed from your bills. Electric bills should be about the electricity you use and nothing else!

Although the reduction seen this year is a win, soon after the legislature ended session in June, the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) voted to add new taxes to your electric bills to pay for costs associated with charging facilities for medium and heavy-duty trucks, in addition to the tax already on your bill you pay already for electric cars. This is wrong. It adds more unaffordability to your high electric bills.

We as elected officials need to prioritize the hardworking ratepayers who continue to get crushed by these increases; that’s why I voted no on former PURA Chairwoman Gillett’s renomination with the best interest of the ratepayers in mind. We need to get the legislature to reclaim its responsibility to make decisions that affect the cost of electricity and charges on your bills, not unelected bureaucrats who do not answer to the people. We need to clean house at PURA.”

Sen. Gordon highlights that he is continuing to Put Ratepayers First, to reform state government so it works for the interests of ratepayers (and not special interests), and to keep addressing CT’s affordability crisis.

If you are concerned about paying your electric bills, there are several programs available for customers who need assistance:

• Connecticut Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) Customers can apply to get up to $645 towards their heating bill from CEAP and get a bigger match from the Matching Payment Program. Apply for CEAP online at CT.gov/heatinghelp or through a local Community Action Agency (CAA). Find a local CAA at 211ct.org or call 211.
• The Matching Payment Program (MPP) can lower the amount customers owe on energy bills. For every dollar they pay and every dollar they receive from the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program, we will subtract a dollar from the amount they owe. For example, if a customer owes $500 and makes their monthly MPP payment of $50 and receives $100 from CEAP that same month, they will receive a match for both payments. So, the matched amount will reduce their overdue balance by $150.
• An Electric Bill Discount is available to customers if they provide proof of qualifying household income or public assistance benefits they receive for at least one household member. Customers may be eligible for up to a 50% discount on their monthly electric bill. For example, if they qualify for the 50% discount and have a $100 monthly bill, it would be $50 less.
• Payment Plans are available to all customers to pay their past-due balance over a period of time. Residential customers with active service may be eligible for payment plans up to 18 months.
• Budget Billing Plans are also available and can help customers avoid seasonal spikes on their energy bill by paying a level amount each month based on their average annual usage.
• Winter Protection is available when customers provide proof of qualifying household income or public assistance benefits they receive for at least one household member, their service cannot be shut off between November 1 and May 1. Customers should check the state’s income guidelines to see if they qualify.
• Energy Efficiency can help customers lower their energy bills. Find energy-saving solutions on Eversource.com.