Given the state’s economy, state regulators must weigh consumers’ ability to pay for a hefty UI rate hike and reject the utility’s plan to increase monthly bills by $30 over the next there years, House Republican Leader Themis Klarides said today.
“As this process unfolds I would ask that state regulators weigh heavily the impact that this rate hike proposal will have on every family or individual utility bill as Connecticut residents continue to struggle in this economy,’’ Klarides said. “We already have some of the highest energy costs in the country and the stress on household budgets will only expand.’’
The next public hearing will take place on Monday at 6:30 p.m., at Kennedy Mitchell Hall of records, Hearing Room G2, 200 Orange S., New Haven.
United Illuminating predicts that the average electric bill will increase by an estimated $30 per month at the end of the three-year period beginning in 2017. The distribution portion of the bill will go up by 30 percent by 2019.
Klarides said it is important for consumers to let their voices be heard at the Public Utility Regulatory Authority hearings in the coming weeks. “PURA needs to hear firsthand from the people who will be hit the hardest with these proposed rate hikes. UI rates are among the top ten highest in the country already,’’ Klarides said.
The utility company said it needs the increase to support major infrastructure projects such as relocation of substations.
