Connecticut’s gubernatorial candidates are outlining their plans to tackle energy affordability and efficiency.
Connecticut’s electric costs have decreased over the last year, but are still some of the highest in the nation.
In June, Connecticut’s residential electricity rate was about 24 cents per kilowatt-hour, compared to about 27 cents per kilowatt-hour at the same time last year, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's latest monthly statistics.
That places Connecticut among the most expensive states in the country in terms of electricity costs.
A key campaign element for State Sen. Ryan Fazio, a Republican from Greenwich and the party’s gubernatorial candidate, is a plan to do away with the state’s public benefits electric bill charge.
“The public benefits charge is very volatile,” Fazio said after last week’s State Bond Commission Meeting. “Sometimes it’s as low as zero, sometimes it’s as high as 30%. But, it averages 20% and will continue to in the future.”
The public benefits charge takes funds from electric customers and puts it toward programs that help low-income families and energy efficiency programs, among other beneficiaries.
At the meeting, the Commission approved the use of $125 million in state funds to offset parts of the public benefits charge on electric bills. Currently, the average Connecticut residential electric bill cost is $173 monthly.
“Our administration is taking an all-of-the-above approach to delivering affordable, reliable energy because we need to confront this multipronged issue from every angle to deliver a utility system that delivers the best results for Connecticut ratepayers,” Lamont said.
The public benefits portion of electric bills pay for electricity procurement, energy efficiency and electrification programs. The benefits charge also helps fund energy assistance programs for low-income customers and pay for costs associated with the operations of ISO-New England, the nonprofit that oversees the region’s grid.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said Lamont’s campaign won’t commit to permanently lowering the public benefits charge.
“We have been able to work with the legislature to reduce the public benefits charges, but we're not making a commitment, as Fazio has done, about making them go away without a plan for how to pay for it,” Bysiewicz said. “Energy efficiency is really important. And building clean energy is also important to increasing the supply and helping the cost to go down.”
Lawmakers in support of the public benefits program say changing the program would just force the funds to be taken from elsewhere, potentially leading to increased taxes.
Along with the public benefit elimination, Fazio would plan to invest more in the state’s use of natural gas. He wants to expand natural gas pipeline capacity from Pennsylvania, reducing reliance on oil peaker plants that use petroleum as backup fuel.
Fazio’s campaign did not respond to Connecticut Public’s request for comment.
Lamont’s campaign said he would continue efforts to weatherize older homes, making them more energy efficient, find more ways to increase the use and creation of renewable energy and provide stronger oversight of utility companies.
“If we want to make energy cheaper, we have to make more energy, and so that's what we're doing at Revolution Wind,” Bysiewicz said.
