Consolidated Edison’s New York City and Westchester customers pay 63% more for electricity than those who live north of the area. ConEd charges more in every aspect of residential energy distribution than any other upstate utility company. The difference in electricity rates costs the average New York City household $500 a year more than our northern neighbors.
And to make matters worse, State regulators set to approve a raise in ConEd’s delivery charges by over 17.5 percent this Wednesday. Electric bills are composed of a a supply charge for the electricity itself as well as a delivery charge that includes the cost of the infrastructure that delivers that electricity. An average bill can break down to 57% in supply charges and 43% for delivery charges.
Downstate residents get slammed twice. Supply charges are high because City-area generators are largely natural-gas and oil-fired (commodities that aren’t as cheap as they once were, as you may have heard). The delivery charges are high because of the immense cost of maintaining an underground urban system, high labor rates, and higher city taxes.
