Connecticut residents are expressing their outrage over the sudden increase in their electric bill costs this July.
Sheri Sala, a resident of Berlin, expressed her concern about the impact of a certain event, stating that it would lead to the displacement of many people from their homes and the closure of numerous businesses.
As the heat wave sweeps across the region, there has been a surge in usage by customers of both Eversource and United Illuminating. Despite the decrease in supply rates, Eversource customers like Sheri Sala are reporting a noticeable increase in the public benefits portion of their July bill.
According to Eversource, the price is something that utility companies have no control over nor profit from.
Senator Norm Needleman explained that a significant portion of public benefits, amounting to around 77%, can be attributed to Millstone. This is due to the legislation passed in 2017, which ensured that the state would be purchasing power from Millstone.
According to Eversource, they had previously alerted the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority about an upcoming surge. They claim that PURA had set rates too low to cover their expenses.
House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora urges us not to direct our anger solely at the electric companies. Instead, he emphasizes the importance of holding the government accountable.
According to Rep. Candelora, one of the contributing factors was the extension of a state-mandated moratorium that was linked to COVID-19 relief. This moratorium ensured that customers would not have their power shut off, regardless of payment, thus adding to the burden on utility companies.
Representative Candelora expressed his concern about the state’s accumulated debt due to the number of people who haven’t paid their bills. He believes that it is unfair for responsible consumers who have been paying their bills to shoulder the burden of those who haven’t.
According to Sen. Needleman, while the payments are now included in the calculation, they only make up a small portion of the overall cost of the bill.
Senator Needleman emphasized that although shut-offs are necessary when customers fail to pay their bills, they have extended a grace period of six months for customers experiencing financial hardships.
Over the next ten months, it is anticipated that public benefit costs will remain steady at their current rate. However, it’s important to note that certain costs are directly tied to usage.