Advocates to Gov: Pass NY HEAT to Really Lower Energy Bills, Don't Do Band-Aids!

ALBANY, NY (02/11/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, Governor Kathy Hochul urged the Department of Public Service (DPS) to reject Con Edison's attempt to charge families even more for the same heat. But Governor Hochul doesn't have jurisdiction over DPS, and her actions do nothing to systematically address already unaffordable energy bills. New Yorkers need real action from the Governor - not empty words - to address the energy affordability crisis that's already impacting more than 1.2 million families and will only get worse if lawmakers continue to do nothing. The NY HEAT Act is the answer: It will limit the amount households are forced to pay for energy and curb the exact rate hikes Governor Hochul is railing against, saving the families who need help most an average of $136 each month on their bills.

"Governor Hochul is right that New Yorkers are paying too much for their energy bills, but she can't play whack-a-mole every few months when a new utility tries to gouge prices on working families. The NY HEAT Act will actually curb these rate hikes for the long term and save the families who need it most an average of $136 every single month. If Governor Hochul really wants to help New Yorkers with energy bills, she'll stop using one-time band-aids and instead work with the Legislature to pass the NY HEAT Act this year," said John Raskin, president of Spring Street Climate Fund.

Earlier this month, Con Edison filed with the Public Service Commission (PSC) to again raise rates for gas heating on customers - despite already charging everyday New Yorkers $45 more per month on their energy bills since 2022. According to a recent analysis from the Alliance for a Green Economy (AGREE), the average cost of heating for Con Edison customers has already increased from $205 in 2022 to over $250 in 2025. Now, if this rate hike is approved, customers will have to pay nearly $300 every month by 2026.

Background

According to the analysis from AGREE, since 2022, every major gas utility in New York State has raised the cost of energy for their customers:

• For Con Edison customers, the average monthly cost of gas heating has increased by nearly $50 since 2022 - from $205 to $253.
• For National Grid customers in NYC, the average monthly cost of gas heating has increased by more than $60 between 2023 and 2026 - from $110 to $172. For National Grid customers in Long Island, the average monthly cost of gas heating will increase by nearly the same amount - from $105 to $165.
• For Central Hudson customers, the average monthly cost of gas heating has increased more than $20 since 2022- from $138 to $157.
• For National Fuel Gas customers, the average monthly cost of gas heating has increased by nearly $15 - from $81 to $94 - since just 2023.

As of September 2024, approximately 1 in 7 households in New York was two months or more behind on their energy bills. This crisis is impacting more than 1.2 million families, who are collectively in debt more than $1.3 billion dollars to utilities.

The Home Energy Affordable Transition Act, also known as the NY HEAT Act, will reduce the expansion of New York's outdated and dangerous fracked gas system and save the 1 in 4 New Yorkers who struggle to pay their energy bills an average of $136 every month. The bill modernizes archaic state laws that force New Yorkers to pay hundreds of millions of dollars each year to subsidize new fracked gas hookups and pipelines. It would limit households' energy burdens and would allow utilities to provide cheaper and clean heating alternatives at no additional cost to customers – a win-win for New Yorkers and the environment.

The NY HEAT Act will also free New Yorkers from the gas mandate (also known as "the utility obligation to serve gas"), an antiquated state law that locks utilities, and consequently the vast majority of New Yorkers, into the dirty, expensive, aging gas system for heat. Because of the gas mandate, one home that wants to stay on the gas system can be the deciding factor for an entire neighborhood that would otherwise have the opportunity to receive cheaper, cleaner heating alternatives from their utility. The NY HEAT Act would require utilities to provide easy access to the most affordable and healthier heating options for their families.

According to a Siena Poll, New Yorkers agree by an overwhelming 58% to 26% that the legislature should pass the NY HEAT Act. Support for the NY HEAT Act is popular across party lines, with 67% of Democrats, 47% of Republicans, and 55% of independents agreeing it should pass. The bill is also popular with 60% of upstate voters, 55% of union households, and across income groups. 74% of Black voters and 70% of Latino voters also support the legislation. An even larger share, 51 - 17%, said that lawmakers did not do enough to improve the quality of life during last year's legislative session.

State action against climate change is crucial as Trump takes office and vows to go all-in on fossil fuels. 2024 was the hottest year on record, and New Yorkers experienced wildfires, flooding, and tornadoes. The NY HEAT Act will help New York fight climate change and it will protect New Yorkers from an unpredictable Trump administration by helping to stabilize heat and energy prices.