Michael Schiavo says money has been tight this year and a higher than usual electric bill is making things even more difficult. Schiavo says his Con Edison bill was almost $100 more than it was compared to the same time last year.

“This was my August. I paid for it in July. $460.99. Con Ed last year, August 15, 2023 — I paid $360.48,” Schiavo said.

What You Need To Know

  • Some Con Ed customers on Staten Island say their electric bill is too high

  • The company says the delivery charge is up for all its customers and fluctuates based on investments the company makes throughout the region

  • Con Ed says it offers programs like budget billing to help New Yokers with their bills
  • Budget billing does not reduce changes, but spreads them out evenly across the year

He’s not alone.

“They definitely spiked in the last couple of months, significantly this past month where I went close to $400. And I’ve never been close to that before. I don’t have central air and I don’t run the air conditioning that much,” Staten Island resident Daniel McCann said.

McCann said last year, Con Ed billed him for July to August — $281. This year, that same billing period cost him $379.

“My supply charge this month was $135 about and my delivery charge was $245,” McCann said.

Joshua Rivera, the Staten Island regional and community affairs director for Con Ed, says there are three parts to the bill. The company does not control the supply charge or taxes, but it does control the delivery charge.

“So the delivery side encompasses a few different components, delivery of the energy to the household, to the business. It covers the salaries of our employees and then covers the investments that we make in the infrastructure to provide clean, reliable service to our customers that they’ve grown to appreciate throughout the years,” Rivera said.

Rivera says the delivery charge is up for all its customers and fluctuates based on investments the company makes throughout the region. Investments like new aerial cables to improve reliability and a $2.3 billion investment by the company to strengthen the grid and advance the region’s transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

“You want to be able to power your pool and your refrigerator. Our businesses have the power that they need to provide the services that their customers know. These investments are important to keep as the island grows, as the region grows, as we expand,” Rivera said.

McCann says the clarification is good to know, but doesn’t make the reality of having to pay it any easier.

“Just when you think you’re getting ahead a little bit, you’re getting banged over the head with a hammer,” McCann said.