Participants at Tuesday’s forum on utility bills received tips from fellow residents on typical errors and how to find them.
During Stand Up Lockport’s forum at the Kenan Center’s Taylor Theater, Luke Udell, a Lockport data engineer, presented his own analysis of utility data pulled from federal report filings. Udell said an electric bill has two parts — supply, which companies do not make a profit from, and delivery, which covers their operating infrastructure.
“You can not shop for delivery,” Udell said. “It’s a regulated monopoly. Your address determines your delivery.” NYSEG is the utility that covers the central portion of Niagara and Erie counties
Delivery costs include the poles, wires, service vehicles and other expenses that bring power to addresses, Udell said.
“The state lets NYSEG earn a set return on everything it owns, so the way it grows is by owning more,” he said.
The forum was held in response to skyrocketing electric bills and a proposed additional 35% rate increase by New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas & Electric Corp.
The New York State Public Service Commission is responsible for regulating the state’s electric, gas, steam, telecommunications, and water utilities.
According to Kristin Legere, DPS spokesperson, “Following a rate increase request by a utility, the staff of the Department of Public Service, and other parties such as consumer groups, business trade associations, environmental groups, elected officials and others, scrutinize the company’s request and file testimony regarding whether or not the utility’s proposed expenses are warranted. . . . If a settlement is not reached, the Commission will set rates based on the evidentiary record.”
Franklin Rezarch, owner of B&D Bagels & Locks, encouraged residents to get paper bills. During a call with NYSEG customer service, Rezarch said he was told that charges seen on his online bill had been dropped, which was shown on the printed version.
Donna Dye-Sholk, the Democratic and Working Families Party candidate for New York State Assembly’s 144th District, said she had audited utility bills as the former controller for the Olin Corporation in Niagara Falls.
“I did this for a living and they’re very complicated,” Dye-Sholk said.
To get to the bottom of a rate increase, Dye-Sholk said payers should get paper copies of bills or print out the online bill for future reference. “(Utilities) only keep them for 13 months,” she said.
Checking the balance forward may show that the utility had not credited your last payment, she said.
Errors in service class, which is residential or commercial, can be costly, Dye-Sholk said. When a commercial developer builds houses, she said all the properties are billed commercial. When residents move in, they need to change it to residential. If you don’t, “you don’t get a refund,” she said.
Utility payers should check their meter number to make sure it’s for their address. Dye-Sholk said some residents have been billed for their neighbor’s usage.
Dye-Sholk recommended that residents check if the meter reading is A for actual or E for estimate. If a bill is estimated, residents should call to see if the actual charges are lower.
To address your usage patterns, Sholk advised to check if your bill is increasing for use of gas versus electric.
All rate payers can submit comments about their utilities to the Public Service Commission, Dye-Sholk said. They can call 800-335-2120 to provide their opinion, or file a complaint online at www.dps.ny.gov/complaints.