High Utility Bills Are Pushing Mid-Hudson Valley Residents to the Brink, Study Finds

A new study from the Benjamin Center at SUNY New Paltz reveals that many households are struggling to keep up with their utility bills.

The report surveyed residents in Dutchess, Orange, Sullivan, and Ulster counties to understand how households are managing their utility bills.

The study shows that one in four regional households have unpaid utility bills. Sullivan County ranks highest among other counties, with 35 percent of households with utility debt and 15 percent of households with utilities shut off.

“It’s pretty clear that utility costs are obstacles that are making it hard for many households across our region to make ends meet,” said Kathleen Tobin, Benjamin Scholar at the Benjamin Center who was part of the project team.

The study also found that households struggling with utility cost bills also face poorer health conditions and other financial hardships. Seven in 10 households with higher-than-average utility cost hardships struggle to pay their rent or mortgage on time, and six in ten or more report poor physical or mental health, according to the study.

In June, NYSEG filed a request with the Public Service Commission (PSC) to raise its delivery rates by more than 30 percent for some customers. NYSEG estimates that its proposed rates could increase monthly bills by $33.12 for the average customer using 600 kWh.

NYSEG’s rate case is currently in litigation. Thousands of people have since offered public comments on the rate case pushing back on the proposal. If approved by the PSC, new increased rates could take effect starting May 1.

Debra, an Eldred resident whose lived in Sullivan County for more than two decades, says her NYSEG bill has doubled in recent years. As a senior citizen, she says she’s had to make difficult decisions like choosing to pay her family’s utility bill or her medical appointments.

“If my electric bill’s coming to be $400 a month, I don’t have that $200 to give my doctor because he wants to do an OctreoScan or a CAT scan or an MRI. I don’t have it. [That’s] all there is to it,” said Debra, who asked not to use her full name due to privacy concerns.

She blames state leadership, alleging that Governor Kathy Hochul has failed to protect consumers from utility companies’ greed.

“What’s being done by our politicians? Not a darn thing. This is a politically motivated issue,” said Debra.

Lawmakers across party lines have pushed for various state and federal legislation as many customers continue to face exorbitant electric bills this winter.

New York Assemblymember Paula Kay, along with other state assembly members, have pushed several consumer transparency and protection bills , including returning excess revenues above the authorized ROE to ratepayers. Senator Peter Oberacker has also proposed reforms aimed at energy transparency for consumers. Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Josh Riley – one of NYSEG’s sharpest critics in Congress – has launched a congressional caucus focused on the energy affordability crisis.

The Benjamin Center’s report is part of SUNY New Paltz’s broader Cost of Living Project examining affordability across the four counties to inform decision-making and action.

“There’s many people that can’t afford living in our region. We have to figure out who they are so we can develop policies to create more widespread affordability in our region,” said Tobin.

Image: Exterior of NYSEG service truck (Photo Credit: Kimberly Izar)