Attorney General William Tong has voiced concerns over Eversource's recent announcement of a 24 percent increase in standard service rates starting January, which will lead to an average bill rise of 7.2 percent.
In his statement, Attorney General Tong expressed dissatisfaction with the utility company's decision, stating, “More awful news from our out-of-touch public utilities. Let’s get real—this is not a decrease. This is yet another increase on top of the exorbitant bills that already hit this summer." He emphasized the need for improvement in addressing Connecticut's energy affordability crisis and acknowledged that while these rates are determined through a competitive bidding process and are "pretty much set in stone," it does not mean residents should accept them without question.
Tong further remarked on the high electric transmission costs in New England and highlighted the importance of evaluating various factors contributing to these expenses, including deals like Millstone and necessary programs that assist families during challenging times. He called for public utilities to refrain from excessive revenue demands.
The Attorney General committed to advocating for ratepayers before the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) and opposing unsustainable rate increases. "I’m going to keep doing what I do every day—which is to fight for ratepayers in every single proceeding before PURA and to push back in every way I can against these exorbitant and unsustainable increases,” he stated.
Electric standard service rates are adjusted biannually for two periods: January through June and July through December. The current winter rate is noted as being 24 percent lower than last year's winter rate, marking it as the lowest since 2021. These rates result from competitive auctions where utilities do not profit directly, nor does the Office of the Attorney General participate in their approval or setting.