Eversource Rate Increase Request Is Unnacceptable Development: State Sen. Fazio

GREENWICH, CT — State Sen. Ryan Fazio (R-36) has railed against Eversource's proposed rate increase, saying it's "an unacceptable development for families in Connecticut who are paying too much already for their utility bills."

The state's largest electrical utility has filed for a rate increase expected to hit Connecticut wallets on May 1.

Eversource residential customers would pay an extra $38 a month for the average household bill of 700 kilowatt-hours, according to documents filed by the company with the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority on Feb. 15. That would translate to about 19 percent of customers' per-kilowatt-hour charges.

The power company attributes the rate spike largely to a 2019 state deal cut with Dominion Energy, which operates the Millstone nuclear power station in Waterford. The arrangement locked in a minimum rate for Dominion over the next decade.

Eversource is also pointing a finger at the state's initiatives adopted during the COVID pandemic to shield low-income and medical hardship customers from high energy bills. "Overdue customer balances are paid for by all customers," the company said in a news release last Friday.

In response to this request, Fazio, who represents Greenwich and portions of Stamford and New Canaan, noted PURA has an important role in safeguarding the interests of consumers.

"My desire for strong protections for utility consumers is exactly why I co-authored our bipartisan S.B. 7 law last year to strengthen PURA’s oversight of the utilities," Fazio said in a news release. "That law will reduce cost increases in the future. But it also underscores my commitment to continue fighting for the passage of my full energy reform proposals that will reduce the cost of energy by 10 percent in the short run and even more in the long run. We must do more to protect energy consumers in this state."

In a letter delivered Gov. Ned Lamont’s Office, Attorney General Tong’s Office, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, and the Office of the Consumer Counsel on Thursday, Eversource proposed solutions the company said would shield customers from "rate shock."

Those included phasing in any potential rate increase over a period of time later in 2024, although the full bit would still be due by spring 2025.

This post contains previous reporting from Patch editor Rich Kirby