![\"Proposed](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/70495057-4ea7-4cde-abde-2aed7c1ebb44-Untitled20251110T122416.339.png\"\/)
<\/p>\n(WRGB) \u2014 Consumer and climate advocates are urging state regulators to reject proposed rate hikes by New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas & Electric (RG&E) that could increase customers\u2019 delivery costs by as much as $800 per year.<\/p>\n
According to a release filed with the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC), the companies\u2019 proposal would raise monthly delivery charges between 34% and 48% for gas and electric service, depending on the utility and customer type. Advocates say the increases would worsen affordability challenges for families already struggling with high utility bills and debt.<\/p>\n
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Proposed NYSEG and RG&E rate hikes could deepen financial struggles for New York families (NYSEG\/RG&E)<\/p>\n
If approved, the new rate plan would come just two years after a 2023 rate hike that raised residential delivery costs by an average of 62%. Advocates argue the latest proposal would continue to burden customers while increasing profits for the utilities\u2019 parent company, Avangrid, which has seen profits rise 185% since 2015 \u2014 from $135.7 million to $387.2 million in 2024, according to the advocacy group Renewable Heat Now.<\/p>\n
Jessica Azulay, Executive Director of the Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE) said,<\/p>\n
NYSEG and RG&E are making historic profits while putting hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers into debt. For Governor Hochul\u2019s PSC regulators to approve this massive bill increase would betray any notion of an \u2018affordability agenda\u2019 in New York.<\/p>\n
Ratepayer advocates say the proposal incentivizes increased gas use in contradiction to the state\u2019s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, expands outdated fossil fuel infrastructure, and unfairly penalizes households that have switched to energy-efficient heat pumps.<\/p>\n
As of August 2025, more than 183,000 households across NYSEG and RG&E territories were in arrears \u2014 73,206 with RG&E and 110,658 with NYSEG \u2014 with 13,393 service terminations reported.<\/p>\n
Kristen Van Hooreweghe, Senior Director at the Climate Solutions Accelerator of the Genesee-Finger Lakes Region, said affordability and accountability are at the center of their opposition.<\/p>\n
Van Hooreweghe said,<\/p>\n
Given the recent audit findings revealing that NYSEG and RG&E lack a regulatory committee to ensure Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act compliance, that their opaque governance structures obscure how ratepayer funds are spent, and that they fall short in administering low-to-moderate income programs, it is unacceptable for them to request rate increases of this magnitude. Meanwhile the average energy burdens for extremely and very low-income households in our region were above 6% in 2023, with some families in the City of Rochester paying more than 22% for energy. While we may not have the same legal and technical resources as the utilities, we remain steadfast in our commitment to actively participate in the rate case process. Our goal is simple: to hold the Companies accountable for their use of public dollars and ensure investments align with equitable, community-driven climate solutions\u2014not continued reliance on fossil fuels.<\/p>\n
Adam Flint, Director of Clean Energy Programs at the Network for a Sustainable Tomorrow (NeST), pointed to the companies\u2019 history of customer complaints and billing problems.<\/p>\n
Flint said,<\/p>\n
NYSEG-RGE are in no position to request another double-digit rate increases, given the high energy burden resulting from the last one and their terrible performance. The Companies are currently under investigation for shoddy billing practices, and a recent audit revealed 128 problems with their operations, including several resulting in a notice of apparent violations from the Department of Public Service. Around a dozen federal, state and local officials have joined the current rate case because of thousands of complaints regarding inexplicably high bills. The Public Service Commission should sanction NYSEG-RGE, reject the current rate increase proposal, and legislators should make any necessary changes to public service law so that regulators can act in the public interest.<\/p>\n
Several state lawmakers have joined the opposition, warning that the hikes would deepen the financial strain on families.<\/p>\n
Senator Jeremy Cooney said the increases would hit New Yorkers hard amid a growing affordability crisis.<\/p>\n
Cooney said,<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve heard from my constituents and their feedback is clear: the proposed rate hikes will hurt the pocketbooks of New Yorkers at a time when an affordability crisis is affecting families across our state. I\u2019ve submitted testimony to make sure this feedback is heard and am fighting to keep utility costs as low as possible. I\u2019m grateful for partners like the Climate Solutions Accelerator as we push for a solution that emphasizes fairness, environmental goals, and a better quality of life for residents in my home of Monroe County and throughout all corners of New York.<\/p>\n
Senator Lea Webb echoed that concern, saying her office continues to receive calls about the rate proposals.<\/p>\n
Webb said,<\/p>\n
My office continues to receive calls about the proposed rate hikes, and I urge my constituents to make their voices heard. Families and small businesses across Upstate New York are already struggling with high utility costs and cannot afford another steep rate hike. The Public Service Commission must carefully consider the real-world impact of these increases. I remain committed to fighting for transparency, accountability, and policies that protect ratepayers while advancing a just and sustainable energy future.<\/p>\n
Assemblymember Anna Kelles said the companies\u2019 growing profits stand in stark contrast to the hardship faced by ratepayers.<\/p>\n
Kelles said,<\/p>\n
Families across our district are stretched to their limits. In just three years, NYSEG has increased delivery charges by more than 60%, and mere weeks after those hikes took effect, they filed for another 35% increase. We\u2019re hearing from residents choosing between paying their utility bill or buying food for their children. One Ithaca family received a $2,600 electric bill in a single month, with $1,300 in delivery fees alone.While households struggle, NYSEG and RG&E continue to pour money into leak-prone, outdated gas infrastructure, passing the cost of that waste and loss directly to ratepayers instead of investing in the renewable, affordable systems New York needs. And while ratepayers are paying more, Avangrid\u2019s profits have soared nearly 185% since 2015. Utility affordability is not a luxury, it is a basic necessity for stability, public health, and climate justice. The Public Service Commission must reject these egregious rate hikes and hold our utilities accountable to the people they are meant to serveWhat\u2019s Next?<\/p>\n
The Public Service Commission is currently reviewing the proposal and testimony filed by ratepayer advocates, lawmakers, and environmental organizations. A decision on the NYSEG\/RG&E rate case is expected in the coming months.<\/p>\n
NYSEG sent CBS6 this statement:<\/p>\n
In accordance with the Public Service Law, utilities are required to initiate a rate proceeding to make the investments needed to upgrade the grid and continue to deliver safe and reliable service to our customers. This starts with a one-year rate filing and, in the case of NYSEG and RG&E, we submitted data to support our five-year Powering New York Plan, which would level those increases out over a longer period of time.NYSEG and RG&E cannot increase or charge rates unless they are approved by the Public Service Commission.The Companies\u2019 proposal details the necessary investments to modernize infrastructure, enhance operations, improve customer service, and allow NYSEG and RG&E to provide safe and reliable service.While the percentage of the one-year filling has gotten media coverage, those numbers are unlikely to be approved. A rate case is a lengthy negotiation process. We come to the table with what we need, but those numbers are not approved and are unlikely to be the final increases on customer bill.The statements about NYSEG and RG&E sending profits to their parent companies is not telling the entire story. The fact is, from 2015-2024 NYSEG and RG&E combined have received $1.19 Billion more in capital contributions from Avangrid than they have paid out in dividends. Because it’s our job to provide reliable service to New Yorkers, we are making the necessary investments to make that happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(WRGB) \u2014 Consumer and climate advocates are urging state regulators to reject proposed rate hikes by New York…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":35328,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[128,9,24,63,129,131,130],"class_list":["post-35327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-the-bronx","tag-bronx","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-the-bronx","tag-the-bronx-headlines","tag-the-bronx-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}