New York Electric Bills Expected to Spike by 12% this Summer

By Yehudit Garmaise

New Yorkers getting ready to beat the heat this summer with air conditioning are likely to see electric bills that are 12% higher than last summer, a Con Ed official warned Thursday.

Public Service Commission (PSC) representatives, after a commissioner’s board meeting on Thursday, attributed to increase in electric supply prices to the increase in natural gas prices globally as a result of “international uncertainty,” which likely refers to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unceasing assault on Ukraine.

The PSC also blamed the electricity’s rising prices, which come as part of the rise in prices of all consumer goods, on the more robust post-pandemic economy, the New York Post reported.

“New York, like every other state, continues to experience higher than normal commodity prices compared to where prices were several years ago, and that is expected to continue throughout the coming summer,” PSC Chairman Rory Christian said,

Last summer, the average monthly Con Ed bill for a typical NY residential customer from June through September was $104.05, said Con Ed spokesman Allan Drury, but typical bills this summer for the same amount of air conditioning could be $116.59. 

Although electric prices are rising, Con Ed and the PSC both emphasized that they have enough power to prevent brownouts and blackouts during the city’s peak summer demands.