WHITE PLAINS, NY (July 3, 2025) — Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins has secured two in-person public hearings to address Con Edison’s proposed gas and electric rate increases, following his formal request to the Administrative Law Judges overseeing the rate case.
Con Edison has proposed rate hikes for 2026 that would increase the average electric bill by 11.4% and the average natural gas bill by 13.3%, according to multiple sources. These increases aim to generate approximately $1.6 billion in additional electric revenue and $440 million in gas revenue to fund infrastructure upgrades, clean energy investments, and other costs such as rising property taxes.
While specific per-kilowatt-hour (kWh) rates for 2026 are not detailed,,the proposed 11.4% increase in electric bills follows a 2024 baseline where Con Edison’s standard residential electricity rate was approximately 24 cents per kWh, comprising delivery charges of 14.1 cents per kWh and supply charges of 10.3 cents per kWh. Applying the proposed 11.4% increase to this rate would result in an estimated total cost of about 26.7 cents per kWh for residential customers, though this figure is an approximation as actual rates vary based on usage, season, and rate plan, such as time-of-use plans with peak rates reaching 33 cents per kWh or higher during summer months.
The proposal, filed with the New York State Public Service Commission on January 31, 2025, is part of an 11-month review process that includes public hearings, with two in-person sessions scheduled in Westchester County on July 8 and 9, 2025.
The hearings, scheduled for July 8 and July 9, 2025, will allow Westchester residents to voice their concerns about the proposed changes to electric and gas delivery rates and practices.
The first hearing is set for July 8 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Cortlandt Town Hall, Vincent F. Nyberg Meeting Room, 1 Heady Street, Cortlandt Manor.
The second will take place on July 9 at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Westchester County Center, First Floor Meeting Room, 198 Central Avenue, White Plains.
Jenkins previously testified at a virtual Public Service Commission (PSC) hearing, opposing the rate hikes. “I am here for working-class families, seniors on fixed incomes, and small business owners already struggling to make ends meet,” Jenkins said. “Forcing people to choose between heating their homes and putting food on the table is not just bad policy—it’s unacceptable.”
While recognizing the need for investments in clean energy and modern infrastructure, Jenkins criticized the lack of transparency and the disproportionate burden the proposed rate increases place on consumers. He urged the PSC to reject the hikes.
Jenkins also signed legislation formalizing Westchester County’s opposition to the rate hikes, following a unanimous, bipartisan vote by the Westchester County Board of Legislators to intervene in the state’s rate case against Con Edison.
Reality Check
Below is the list of the top 25 OECD countries with the highest household electricity prices (USD per kWh), based on 2023-2024 data unless noted, ordered by price:
- Austria: $0.55 (taxes and distribution ~40%)
- Ireland: $0.53 (taxes and distribution ~50%)
- Italy: $0.46 (taxes ~42%, distribution significant)
- Sweden: $0.438 (taxes and distribution ~50%)
- Germany: $0.402 (taxes ~51%, distribution significant)
- Denmark: $0.384 (taxes ~50%, distribution significant)
- Belgium: $0.381 (taxes ~40%, distribution high)
- United Kingdom: $0.368 (taxes and distribution ~40-50%)
- Czech Republic: $0.359 (taxes ~30%)
- Switzerland: $0.342 (taxes and distribution ~40%)
- Poland: $0.40 (taxes and distribution ~40%)
- Netherlands: $0.35 (taxes ~40%)
- Spain: $0.226 (taxes and distribution moderate)
- Portugal: $0.30 (2020 data, taxes ~30%)
- France: $0.28 (2020 data, taxes ~30%)
- Finland: $0.25 (taxes ~40%)
- Australia: $0.24 (taxes and distribution moderate)
- Japan: $0.24 (supply-driven due to imports)
- New Zealand: $0.23 (taxes and distribution moderate)
- Luxembourg: $0.22 (2020 data, taxes ~30%)
- Slovakia: $0.20 (2020 data, taxes ~30%)
- Greece: $0.19 (2020 data, taxes ~30%)
- Latvia: $0.18 (2020 data, taxes ~30%)
- United States: $0.17 (delivery ~60%, supply ~40%)
- Estonia: $0.17 (2020 data, taxes ~30%)
The U.S., at $0.17 per kWh, ranks low among OECD nations, benefiting from diverse energy sources and lower taxes. In New York, Con Edison’s 2024 rate of $0.24 per kWh (delivery ~14.1 cents, supply ~10.3 cents) could rise to $0.267 with a proposed 11.4% hike in 2026, still below most European OECD countries.
This article was drafted with the aid of Grok, an AI tool by xAI, under the direction and editing of Robert Cox to ensure accuracy and adherence to journalistic standards.