Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/1541615
HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | DECEMBER 1, 2025 21 FOCUS | ALTERNATIVE ENERGY has been in existence for decades, now comprises 63 separate fees and costs that appear as two line items on monthly bills. One covers more than 40 grid and power-contract expenses, including payments to ISO-New England, congestion mitigation, backup power plants, long-term nuclear contracts and renewable energy programs. The other supports Connecticut Green Bank's renew- able energy initiatives, statewide energy-efficiency efforts and about 20 public programs ranging from low-income assistance to consumer education. Recently, the public benefit charge has increased due to a multitude of factors: utilities recovering past under-collections tied to nuclear contracts, rising demand for low-income assistance, higher renew- able-energy and grid-resiliency costs, and unpaid bills from the pandemic and winter shutoff moratoriums. Hardship-related programs accounted for nearly 25% of Eversource's public benefits charge in 2024 and more than 45% of UI's, the CT Mirror reported. Other states At HBJ's forum, Chatterjee contrasted Connecticut's electric bills with those in other states, noting that residents here pay roughly 6 cents per kilowatt-hour in public-policy costs, compared with zero in Indiana. He said those charges — on top of about 9 cents for supply, 3.5 cents for transmission and 8 cents for distribution — make the state less competitive and confuse customers who often blame utilities for policy-driven costs. Chatterjee also questioned the fairness of billing rooftop-solar incentives and other programs through electric rates, arguing they disproportionately benefit wealthier homeowners and require renters and manu- facturers to subsidize them. He called the system "taxation without representation," and urged moving those expenses to the state budget. State Sen. Ryan Fazio (R-Greenwich), who is running for governor, echoed that view. He said Connecticut should cut or eliminate the public benefits charge, noting that New Jersey's electricity rates are roughly 30% lower even though it has its own, smaller societal benefits fee. But Steinberg said eliminating the charge would jeopardize programs critical to reliability and long- term cost control. Instead, he urged more trans- parency by breaking the charge into additional line items so customers can see exactly what they're paying for. "Either you believe in energy efficiency and investing in the future of the grid … or you don't," he said. Looking ahead Energy affordability is expected to be a hot issue during the upcoming legislative session as lawmakers confront Connecticut's persistently high electricity costs and their effect on economic growth. Steinberg said legislators may look at extending the temporary reductions that offset the public bene- fits charge, though he noted that shifting costs from electric bills to the state budget would not change much for most residents. "Either you're paying it through your taxes, or you're paying it through your electric bill," he said. He added that the state must also tackle the underlying forces driving prices, including supply constraints, grid modernization needs and access to remote renewable energy. "We used to joke that nobody cared about energy policy, and now we joke that we were happier when nobody cared," Steinberg said. "It seems to be in the news a lot lately, and it's for a reason. Things are changing rapidly. It's part of the affordability crisis, and it really matters for our future." Ryan Fazio States with the highest average monthly electricty prices for commercial customers (2024) STATE AVERAGE PRICE AVERAGE (CENTS/KWH) MONTHLY BILL HAWAII 38.18 $1,509.54 CALIFORNIA 25.54 $1,378.49 ALASKA 21.57 $820.87 CONNECTICUT 21.21 $1,314.49 RHODE ISLAND 21.09 $1,029.00 MASSACHUSETTS 20.90 $933.78 NEW HAMPSHIRE 19.40 $591.06 VERMONT 18.89 $477.86 NEW YORK 18.77 $955.02 MAINE 18.22 $562.78 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 17.07 $3,717.37 U.S. TOTAL 12.75 $791.56 Source: U.S. Energy Information Admin. States with the highest average monthly electricty prices for industrial customers (2024) STATE AVERAGE PRICE AVERAGE (CENTS/KWH) MONTHLY BILL HAWAII 34.13 $120,220.00 CALIFORNIA 21.53 $5,397.62 RHODE ISLAND 19.70 $6,118.40 ALASKA 19.31 $18,541.79 MASSACHUSETTS 18.19 $8,265.83 CONNECTICUT 17.12 $9,437.44 NEW HAMPSHIRE 16.21 $8,503.20 MAINE 12.46 $12,529.78 NEW JERSEY 11.93 $5,613.41 VERMONT 11.58 $50,691.05 U.S. TOTAL 8.13 $6,279.63 Source: U.S. Energy Information Admin.