Elected officials this week urged the state agency overseeing electricity and gas rates to reject Con Edison’s proposed double-digit hike, warning it would burden residents and business owners across New York City.
Gov. Kathy Hochul Tuesday sent a letter to the Chair and CEO of the New York State Public Service Commission calling for it to rebuff the proposed price hike that she called “intolerable.”
“The message to Con Edison should be straightforward: go back to the drawing board and find a better way,” Hochul wrote.
Con Edison, the energy supplier serving the Bronx and most of New York City and Westchester County, said it needs to raise electricity rates by 11.4% and gas rates by 13.3% starting in 2026 to cover its rising property taxes and operational costs. It also said it would use revenue raised from the proposed rate to cover the cost of energy infrastructure upgrades and green-energy projects.
But, at a press conference announcing the letter on Tuesday, Hochul said the hike was too high during a time when New Yorkers are already struggling to afford groceries, rent and more. She said the utility giant should address some of its costs—such as executive compensation— before raising rates.
Her announcement follows a press conference on Monday held by U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, who also criticized Con Edison. Other lawmakers issued statements in opposition to the proposal.
“The attempted double-digit rate increase by Con Edison reflects a profound disregard for the economic struggles of everyday New Yorkers,” Torres said at the press conference. “The notion that New Yorkers should be expected to absorb the shock of double-digit rate increases is tone deaf and out of touch.”
South Bronx resident Mel Aydin joined Torres at Monday’s press conference. She said that she rents a three-bedroom apartment and regularly pays $300 to $400 a month in utilities.
“It’s super shocking to open a bill every single day and to see that it’s been increased more and more,” Aydin said. “I’m very worried on how I’m going to pay my utilities as well as food costs, transportation and health costs. It’s really accumulating for me.”
Aydin’s case is not unique; multiple Bronx residents told the Bronx Times over social media that they pay over $1,000 a month for gas and electricity.
Torres said that Con Edison is taking advantage of the poorest borough in the city. In August, his office released a report accusing the company of arbitrarily inflating prices in the Bronx. His investigation said that people in the Bronx can pay over twice as much in gas delivery fees—a large component of the amount charged—as customers in other boroughs.
“Con Edison’s proposal is the latest chapter in a long story of price gouging,” Torres said.
Other Bronx representatives suggested New York’s utility industry needs better oversight. Assembly Member Jeffery Dinowitz released a statement Monday announcing the reintroduction of legislation that Hochul vetoed in 2021 that would establish an independent Utility Consumer Advocate Office.
“The state is not preventing egregious rate hikes by Con Edison and other utility companies,” Dinowitz said. “The reason is simple: no independent entity is fighting solely on behalf of residential utility consumers.”
Dinowitz said the state legislature passed the bill multiple times, going back years before Hochul was in office, but currently the state relies on the Office of Consumer Services within the Public Service Commission and the Utility Intervention Unit at the New York Department of State to respond to consumer complaints about utilities.
Before new rates are approved, the Department of Public Service will go through an 11-month review process, which is open to the public, where a team will determine if new rates are fair and justified.
James Denn, a spokesperson for the Department of Public Service, said that the review process will ensure customers in NYC are “fully protected”
“At Gov. Hochul’s direction, DPS will pore over the utility’s books to identify ways to cut costs,” Denn said in a statement. “For the major electric and gas utilities, the approved rates after this process are nearly always lower than what is requested, due entirely to this time-tested stakeholder review process.”
Con Edison responded to Hochul’s rebuke, defending the proposed rate increases saying that the additional funding will help the company make critical infrastructure updates needed to stay on track with the state’s sustainability goals.
“We also have a responsibility to continue to safely and efficiently deliver the nation’s most reliable power while complying with state laws and regulations,” a spokesperson from Con Edison said in a statement. “That means fortifying the grid in the face of increasingly severe extreme weather, bringing renewable energy sources online to help meet the state’s clean power goals, and supporting the workforce.”
Con Edison also highlighted that in 2024, it invested $300 million in assistance programs for low and moderate income New Yorkers, saying that it was committed to enrolling every eligible customer who needs help with their bill.
“Affordability in our state and country touches every aspect of New Yorkers’ daily life—from energy to housing to groceries,” the spokesperson said. “Con Edison is acutely aware of this, which is why we work with customers to make utility bills more affordable.”
