Sen. Suzio Challenges Eversource Bill Information
February 13, 2018“Many families may have been overcharged.”
Sen. Len Suzio (R-Meriden) has filed a formal complaint (attached) with state energy regulators after confirming that incorrect information has been appearing on his electric bills and on the bills of potentially thousands of other Connecticut residents.
“My Eversource billing, every month since September 2017, has led me to believe that my ‘next cycle rate’ was going to be 7 cents per kilowatt hour,” Suzio said in his Feb. 9 complaint to the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. “When I received my next bill, my rate was 12.99 cents per kilowatt hour. I followed up by researching the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority website, only to discover this is a problem PURA has been aware of for well over a year and one which has affected thousands of other utility ratepayers. It dumbfounds me that Eversource doesn’t have any internal controls to prevent this kind of misleading information in its billing information to consumers. Even worse, Eversource appears to be indifferent to the potential abuse by suppliers and the financial consequences for rate payers. People deserve more than answers. They deserve a refund.”
Suzio’s complaint demands that state regulators:
- Order that under no circumstances can a residential rate increase without the residential ratepayer receiving accurate “next rate” information.
- Order utility companies to refund any overpayments by ratepayers who were charged a higher rate in their monthly supplier charge than the “next cycle rate” that had been indicated in their previous bill.
- Fine suppliers who continue to either not provide next cycle rate information or provide incorrect information.
Suzio also has requested the Office of Consumer Counsel and the Attorney General to investigate the matter.
“We already have among the highest energy bills in the country,” Suzio said. “Bills are slated to go even higher. I represent many working families, seniors and individuals on fixed income. They are overburdened already. This issue could impact families throughout Connecticut and many families may have been overcharged by a considerable amount. Every overcharged ratepayer deserves a refund. This problem appears to have been going on for two years. Enough is enough. It’s time to treat this misinformation as a high priority, to stop it and to correct the situation now.”
*Sen. Suzio represents Cheshire, Meriden, Middlefield, Middletown and Rockfall. He can be reached at 800-842-1421. On the web: www.SenatorSuzio.com .