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(Michael Appleton\/Mayoral Photography Office)<\/p>\nNew York\u2019s coldest winter in decades exacerbated a trend of steadily increasing utility rates. The average National Grid winter gas bill for NYC residential customers rose by 25 percent from last winter to this winter, according to the company\u2019s filings. <\/p>\n
(Michael Appleton\/Mayoral Photography Office)<\/p>\n
When Marge Beane opened her December natural gas bill from National Grid, she thought the company had made a mistake. But when she called the customer service line, a representative confirmed the charge\u2019s accuracy: She owed $463.74.<\/p>\n
To Beane, 28, a vocal coach living in Brooklyn, the unexpected expense arrived at a bad time. She had been moonlighting at a bowling alley to help pay the bills, but recently lost that job.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is kind of a blow,\u201d said Beane, looking over the bill on her laptop, sitting on the couch in the apartment she shares with two others. \u201cMy other roommates too, like, we don\u2019t make a lot of money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like Beane, many New Yorkers grapple each winter with higher power and gas bills. That struggle is exacerbated this year after an exceptionally long run of bitter cold<\/a> in the city, including a nine-day streak in which temperatures remained below freezing<\/a> from Jan. 24 to Feb. 2.<\/p>\n New York\u2019s coldest winter in decades<\/a> exacerbated a trend of steadily increasing utility rates. The average National Grid winter gas bill (from Dec. through Feb.) for New York City residential customers rose by 25 percent<\/a> from last winter to this winter, according to National Grid\u2019s filings<\/a> to the state\u2019s Public Service Commission. The average monthly charge shot up from $231 to $290.<\/p>\n What fueled the higher gas bills? For one, wholesale gas prices exploded due to record-setting usage<\/a> caused by the cold spell.<\/p>\n \u201cThe extreme weather this winter is driving up bills,\u201d said Destenie Nock, a professor of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University. \u201cThe heating system in a home can represent up to 40 to 70 percent of the energy bill.\u201d<\/p>\n Even before this unusually frigid season, natural gas prices have ballooned<\/a> in northeastern states like New York, where they rose<\/a> by about 37 percent from 2020 to 2025, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.<\/p>\n But service rate hikes for both National Grid\u2014which will climb 11 percent<\/a> starting April 1\u2014 and Con Edison<\/a> have compounded the problem. Rate increases, which are approved by state regulators<\/a> every few years, cover the costs<\/a> of the utility\u2019s energy infrastructure buildout\u2014including a controversial new pipeline<\/a> under construction.<\/p>\n The price of electricity, which is largely generated by natural gas in New York, has also jumped<\/a> significantly\u2014up 50 percent from last January to this January, according to data<\/a> from New York\u2019s grid operator. In the past five years, the average Con Edison electric bill for New York City residents has increased<\/a> from $82 to $113 dollars\u2014a 37 percent increase, according to a calculation comparing charges from 2020 to 2025.<\/p>\n While initiatives like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program help people unable to pay their winter bills, the recent government shutdown delayed<\/a> the opening of applications this year until early December<\/a>. As a result, the 1.5 million New Yorkers<\/a> who relied on the program may not have received assistance until late this winter, as states can take up to two months<\/a> to disburse funds.<\/p>\n New York\u2019s Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance, which oversees the distribution of energy assistance funding, has issued all payments for residents who automatically qualify for assistance through other programs (such as Medicaid).<\/p>\n While residents like Beane foot increasingly burdensome rates, utility profits have grown<\/a>, according to a recent report from the Energy & Policy Institute. On average, about one in eight revenue dollars goes to utility profits. <\/p>\n Though regulated by state governments, investor-owned utilities like National Grid and Con Edison are private companies that receive a guaranteed return on equity<\/a>. This profit margin, which is designed for utilities to attract investment for infrastructure spending, can constitute as much 20 percent of a customer\u2019s bill<\/a>, according to an analysis by the climate think tank RMI.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for National Grid said, \u201cThere is no markup on supply costs \u2013 National Grid pays exactly what our customers pay \u2013 but these market conditions can lead to higher bills as well.\u201d However, delivery costs, which often make up the majority of a customer\u2019s bill (as in Beane\u2019s case), include the utility\u2019s return on equity markup.<\/p>\n Nock advises people struggling to pay their energy bills to seek assistance through customer advocacy groups or the utilities themselves as soon as possible. She recommends that New Yorkers apply for HEAP funding, either <\/a>online or in person at a local office<\/a>.<\/p>\n Even before the recent cold spell, more than a million households across New York were two months or more behind on their energy bills, totaling $1.84 billion in debt, more than double what was owed before the pandemic, state lawmakers said in December<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n In addition to HEAP, New Yorkers can also apply for Energy Affordability Program funding<\/a> or, if they don\u2019t qualify for that, the Enhanced Energy Affordability Program<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is much easier to get assistance before you default on a bill,\u201d said Nock.<\/p>\n To reach the editor, contact [email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n![\"energy](\"https:\/\/citylimits.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/trx_addons\/components\/lazy-load\/images\/placeholder.png\")
A screenshot of Beane\u2019s electric bill spanning Dec. 11, 2025, to Jan. 13, 2026. Credit: Marge Beane<\/p>\n