National Grid Customers Demand Assembly Pass NY HEAT Act as Utility AGAIN Raises Rates

MINEOLA, NY (03/28/2025) (readMedia)-- Today, as National Grid prepares to again raise gas rates on Long Island and Brooklyn customers on April 1, more than a dozen Long Island community and environmental organizations rallied to demand that Albany lawmakers pass the NY HEAT Act in this year's budget. The NY HEAT Act would limit the amount households are forced to pay for heat, alleviate rate hikes like the ones from National Grid, and save the Long Island families who need help most an average of $164 each month on their bills. 1 in 4 New Yorkers already can't afford energy prices - and a clear majority need policies to make life more affordable for them.

Watch a recording of the event here.

Since 2023, National Grid has repeatedly raised rates on customers on Long Island. Now, National Grid will raise rates higher - forcing the average family to pay over $40 more per month for the same service - and their newest rate hike will be followed by another nearly $20 increase in 2026, bringing the average utility bill to $60 more every month by 2026!

Assemblymember Tommy John Schiavoni, First District, said: "The NY HEAT Act is a critical initiative as New York State transitions to renewable energy alternatives. It recognizes the public burden of fossil fuel dependency, particularly on New York's most vulnerable communities. The HEAT Act would eliminate policies that benefit fossil fuel companies over cleaner and safer alternatives and hasten the transition to renewables outlined in the 2019 Climate Law."

"Families just like mine warily open utility bills each month and have no control over endlessly rising rates. The NY HEAT Act would limit utility rates to 6% of household income, and stop existing ratepayers from subsidising new gas hookups. The NY HEAT Act is about affordability and we need it to pass now," said Lauren Krueger, a volunteer leader with Food & Water Watch from Merrick.

It is time to finally pass the New York Heat Act. For too long, the NYS legislature has codified climate justice initiatives while lacking the willpower to pass legislation and fund mandates that actually bring emissions and affordable access into alignment with those goals. The heat act is groundbreaking legislation that implements cleaner energy sources while also ensuring energy affordability for regular people. New York is the center of innovation. We can show the country what is possible when we take definitive action to protect each other and the environment," said Jamie Jordon, Climate Activist with the Working Families Party of Nassau County.

Long Islanders are on the front lines of the climate crisis everyday. On top of this many of our communities have been underserved and historically bore the brunt of economic, racial and environmental injustice, and still do. The Long Island Progressive Coalition envisions a future that can be a reality today. We can have affordable clean energy, homeowners can have solutions to the climate crisis and the economic crisis they face, and we can have a better world for the next generation. The NY Heat Act is a step in the right direction to these solutions and to this better future. We must pass it today for our better tomorrow," said Joe Sackman, Executive DIrector, Long Island Progressive Coalition.

"We must transition off fossil fuels to ensure that our children and grandchildren avoid the worst impacts of climate change. New Yorkers will not be able to do so without the NY HEAT Act. As Reform Jews we are guided by our sages, and one of those, Rabbi Hillel, asks, 'If not now, when?' After years of delay, we call on the NY legislature to pass the NY HEAT Act now," said Ben Elkind, Lead Organizer of the New York Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC-NY).

"Transition Town Port Washington strongly supports the NY HEAT Act, a critical step toward a more affordable, sustainable, and equitable energy future for all New Yorkers. This Act is critical at this time to lower energy bills for working families, reduce harmful emissions, and accelerate our transition to clean, renewable energy. By prioritizing energy affordability and climate justice, the NY HEAT Act aligns with our community's values of fairness, health, and environmental stewardship. Passage of this bill is vital to ensure a healthier, more resilient future for generations to come," said Paul Merkelson with Transition Town Port Washington.

"At a time when we are seeing more extreme weather events every year and unsustainable increases in our energy costs, the New York Heat Act is a win/win piece of legislation. Who wouldn't want a lighter wallet and a lighter carbon footprint?" said Dave Denenberg, Co-Director, LI Clean Air Water & Soil.

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. According to a recent report 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 Trump and Musk gut environmental protections and clean energy policies, now is the time for New York to lead by protecting everyday people from greedy corporations driving up our bills and polluting our communities. The NY HEAT Act would put an end to the outdated, expensive gas system accelerating the effects of climate change - and stop utilities from charging everyday New Yorkers more to foot the bill for new pipes and pipelines - even while the cost of gas decreases and when there are cleaner and cheaper alternatives available.

Background

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.