A report issued last week by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli states that one in eight New Yorkers have unpaid utility bills. It notes that 1.2 million customers statewide owed some $1.8 million in utility bills.

The Comptroller suggested that much of this is pandemic-related, adding that “pandemic-related job losses caused a significant increase in the number of residential customers struggling to pay their utility bills.” That may be true, but that’s not the entire story of the struggle to pay utility bills. Central Hudson’s billing problems, as previously reported, may be more widespread than the recent power outages of this past weekend.

One reader, expecting credit for installing solar panels, instead received a $23,000 bill. After enlisting the help of state legislators, the bill was changed to a $900 credit balance, only to revert back to $23,000 a few weeks later. His story isn’t the only one. Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson reports at least one customer receiving a bill for more than $700,000. He has joined the chorus of those asking the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC) to take some action against the utility.

Much of the issue is blamed on a software upgrade implemented in September of 2021.The billing problem persisted through the spring of 2022. They apparently haven’t been fully resolved, as complaints are still pouring in. The PSC needs to do more, and the utility needs to make amends.

For those residents whose utility problems cannot be fixed with a simple bill adjustment, DiNapoli noted that the state and the PSC “have acted to provide meaningful relief to low-income customers through the Utility Arrears Relief Program and the Phase 1 Arrears Reduction Program, and should continue to consider mechanisms to help utility customers that cannot pay their bills.”

We can expect energy usage to soar this week, with the first significant heat wave of the summer, along with some possible extreme weather. We will take any sort of relief that we can get.