NYSEG customers frustrated by high bills as company pushes for new rate hike

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Frustration is growing among NYSEG customers across Western New York as many have reported that their electric bills have suddenly skyrocketed by hundreds of dollars.

As for what is to blame for the major increase, NYSEG communication manager Michael Baggerman says there are two main factors, customer usage and the hot weather. When people are trying to stay cool, they'll turn to pool pumps, humidifiers and air conditioners, and running all of those can add up.

"This is that time of year where we're expecting that energy usage will increase," said Baggerman. "Any time you have the extreme temperatures of the peak Summer months and the peak Winter months, that's when you see energy consumption increase the most."

WIVB News 4 has also seen complaints from NYSEG customers about their electric bills in the Spring and Fall months. When asked why this seems to be a year-round problem, Baggerman said the answer is supply costs.

"We have seen a substantial increase in supply really since I've been talking to you back in the Wintertime," said Baggerman. "We saw that there is an increase of supply, and it has maintained at a high rate as well."

WIVB News 4 has also received reports about a technical error which occurred for some autopay customers. It led to people getting termination notices out of the blue.

Baggerman said this was a federally required transition to a new payment vendor and there was a technical error that occurred for some autopay customers. He said this has nothing to do with high prices you might be seeing on your bill.

"NYSEG acted quickly to lock down the affected accounts," said Baggerman. "We'll work with every single customer to resolve this issue."

If you think your bill is high now, just wait. The parent company of NYSEG wants to raise both gas and electric rates. That could mean your electric bill jumping by about $30 every month. The State Public Service Commission will decide whether to approve or reject the rate hike request.

In the meantime, Baggerman offered some advice on how to keep those bills down.

"Set your thermostat in your home to 78 degrees or higher during the cooling season, which we are in now," said Baggerman. "If you set your thermostat at 75 degrees, each degree above 75% will save you approximately 3% of the energy used to cool your home."

He also recommended using ceiling fans, closing your curtains during the day to block the sunlight, or upgrading some of your systems since newer ones tend to be more energy efficient.

For more tips on how you can lower your bill, click here.