As the hottest weather of the year is expected to create some of the highest electric bills of the year, Connecticut government officials are pointing out they did their part to remove excess charges on ratepayers.
As temperatures neared the triple digits on July 21, Gov. Dannel Malloy and state Sen. Steve Cassano, D-Manchester, pointed out that Connecticut Light & Power customers will get a 5 percent bill reduction.
When the state budget passed in June, the government eliminated its surcharge on CL&P customers. The surcharge originally helped the utility recoup its expenses from deregulation, but the state government kept the charge on the bills until this year to pay down some of its general debts.
The surcharge – equal to 5 percent of bills – was taken off CL&P bills starting July 1.
Despite the elimination of the surcharge, electric bills should be very high for July. The hot weather increases demand for electricity – particularly for air conditioners – and drives up prices. Ratepayers’ bills then get the double hit of using more electricity at a higher cost.
