Assembly Members Urge Legislature to Pass NY HEAT Act as ConEd Raises Energy Bills AGAIN!

NEW YORK, NY (02/13/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, as gas utility Con Edison attempts to charge families even more for the same heat, Assembly Members from across NYC are demanding the Legislature pass the NY HEAT Act to lower the cost of unaffordable energy bills and curb future gas rate hikes. The NY HEAT Act, which was reintroduced last week, would limit the amount households are forced to pay for energy and save the families who need help most an average of $136 each month on their bills!

Earlier this month, Con Edison filed with the Public Service Commission (PSC) to again raise rates for gas heating on customers - despite already charging 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.

Following criticism from Spring Street Climate Fund and other advocates of the Governor for failing to stop rate hikes happening across the State, the Public Service Commission is now considering an audit into executives' high compensation packages. But unlike NY HEAT, the announcement does nothing to reduce unaffordable energy costs across the board and won't help lower-income New Yorkers already struggling to pay their bills.

Quotes from Assembly Members who represent New Yorkers impacted by Con Edison's rate hike proposal are below:

"Gas system subsidies continue to raise prices for consumers while persisting reliance on energy that harms our environment. The NY HEAT Act moves our utilities away from gas, while ensuring a fully trained and qualified workforce and capping utility bills for low- and middle-income New Yorkers. It's time for New York to start making necessary systemic changes toward environmentally friendly energies while protecting our most vulnerable New Yorkers from steep utility bills and pass the NY HEAT Act," said Assemblymember Deborah Glick, Chair of the Environmental Conservation Committee.

"New Yorkers deserve access to energy that is both affordable and environmentally sustainable," said Assemblymember Grace Lee. "The NY HEAT Act will bring us one step closer to this goal by capping and stabilizing utility prices for New Yorkers, and it will further prepare New York to make the long-overdue switch to a sustainable energy infrastructure. Con Edison trying to once again raise rates for gas heating will force many New Yorkers to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table. It is clear that the time to act is now."

"At a time when everyday New Yorkers are already struggling with skyrocketing costs of living in our city, Con Edison shamelessly attempts to add fuel to the fire with their proposed rate hikes. The NY HEAT Act will result in the best of both worlds: lower utility costs for struggling working and middle-class New York families, and clean energy measures that are better for the environment and our health and well-being," said Assemblymember George Alvarez, A.D. 78.

"At a time when more than 1 in 7 New Yorkers are behind on their energy bills, we cannot let exorbitant prices continue to rise," said Assembly Member Harvey Epstein. "The NY HEAT Act, which I am proud to co-sponsor, will create a new path forward by capping low-to-middle-income New York residents' energy costs at 6% of their total income while also phasing out natural gas infrastructure."

New Yorkers are not piggy banks for billion-dollar utility companies," said Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal (D/WF-Manhattan), Chair of the Assembly Committee on Housing. "It is shocking that Con Edison, a company that pays its chief executive $16 million a year, would even dare to suggest that struggling New Yorkers should bear the burden of a double digit utility hike during an affordability crisis. I strongly suggest that Con Edison use its many billions to subsidize its own infrastructure projects instead of raiding the coffers of hard working New Yorkers. Con Edison's request shines a spotlight on why we must pass the NY HEAT Act in the budget -- capping utility costs will make New York a more affordable state for all."

"Con Edison's effort to raise energy costs yet again will hurt New Yorkers at a critical time. We must respond by passing the NY HEAT Act in this year's budget. I'm proud to support this legislation, which will both lower utility bills and help reduce emissions," said Assembly Member Rebecca A. Seawright.

"Too many New Yorkers are already struggling to afford basic necessities, and yet again, Con Edison is proposing higher energy bills. We need real solutions that lower costs and make our energy system more sustainable. The NY HEAT Act does both by capping utility bills for working families and investing in a cleaner future. It is time to pass this bill and ensure New Yorkers are not left paying the price for an outdated system," said Assemblymember Emerita Torres, AD 85.

"Families in the Bronx and across New York are being forced to make impossible choices between heating their homes and putting food on the table. Con Edison's rate hikes are unsustainable, and we cannot continue to subsidize an outdated and harmful gas system at the expense of working-class communities. The NY HEAT Act is a crucial step toward ensuring affordable energy bills while also transitioning to cleaner, more sustainable energy. I proudly stand with my colleagues in demanding the urgent passage of this bill," said Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia.

"The NY HEAT Act is overdue because of our climate crisis. But the rising utility rates facing New Yorkers is yet another reminder of the urgency of this bill; the rare win/win that lowers utility costs and advances our climate goals," said Assemblymember Alex Bores.

"As New Yorkers face an acute affordability crisis, ConEd is again proposing a rate increase for gas. Its proposal would cost New Yorkers an average of nearly 18% more per month, meaning their average bill will skyrocket to almost $300 per month on gas alone. Too many tenants in New York already cannot afford their energy bill, while countless homeowners and small business owners don't know how they will afford next month's bill. ConEd doesn't need this money to deliver its services---it said itself in its proposal that the cost of gas has not changed. What is guiding this proposal is yet another attempt to extract more profit from working class New Yorkers. We must pass the NY HEAT Act to prevent utilities from imposing unaffordable rate hikes like this one," said Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani.

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.