New York Electricity Rates in 2026: What the Public Service Commission Approved
Category: Rate news Published: July 1, 2026 Last reviewed: July 1, 2026 Source quality: Secondary
Electric bills are rising across New York in 2026. The state's Public Service Commission, the body that approves what utilities can charge, signed off on multi-year rate increases for several of the largest utilities, and at least one more large request is still pending. This page lays out what was approved, for whom, and why, with the figures as reported at the time of writing. Rate cases change; check the Department of Public Service links at the bottom for the current numbers.
Con Edison (New York City and Westchester)
The Public Service Commission approved a three-year rate plan for Con Edison running through December 31, 2028. Electric delivery rates rise at an average of 2.8% per year under the plan. For 2026, a typical residential customer in New York City using around 280 kilowatt-hours per month sees a bill increase of roughly $4.03, about 3.9%. A Westchester customer at 425 kilowatt-hours per month sees roughly $5.32, or about 3.6%. Gas increases were also approved as part of the plan; specific per-year gas percentages were not published on the utility rate page as of the retrieval date.
Con Edison justified the increase by pointing to spending on grid reliability, storm hardening, and the infrastructure required by New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.
National Grid and Central Hudson
The Commission approved a three-year rate plan for National Grid (case 24-E-0322) running from September 1, 2025 through August 2028, and a separate multi-year plan for Central Hudson running through June 30, 2028. For Central Hudson's average residential electric customer, the approved increase works out to about 3.47% in the first year, 3.47% in the second, and 3.23% in the third, measured on the total bill. Gas increases for Central Hudson were approved at higher percentages than electric: roughly 5.3% in year one, 7.19% in year two, and 7.27% in year three. The Commission cut Central Hudson's original electric request by about 37% before approving it.
NYSEG (pending, not yet approved)
New York State Electric and Gas has filed a larger request that the Commission has not yet ruled on. As filed, NYSEG asked for an increase of roughly 35% to electric delivery rates (case 25-E-0375) and roughly 39.4% to gas delivery rates (case 25-G-0378). Delivery is the portion of your bill that pays to move electricity to your home, separate from the cost of the electricity itself. A request is not an approval. The Commission routinely cuts what a utility asks for, so the final figure, if approved, is likely to land below 35%.
Why New York electric bills keep rising
Two forces sit behind most of these increases. The first is delivery. A growing share of what you pay is not for electricity but for the poles, wires, substations, and storm repairs that carry it, and utilities are spending heavily to maintain and upgrade that grid. The second is state climate policy. The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act commits New York to a cleaner grid, and the cost of that transition is recovered through rates.
The result is that even when the price of the electricity itself holds steady, the delivery charges on your bill climb. That is the line most rate cases are about.
What this means for your bill
The increases already approved are moderate year to year, in the low single digits for electricity, but they compound across three-year plans and stack with any future cases. For a household on a fixed income or an all-electric home, the direction is what matters: delivery charges are set to keep rising through at least 2028. Households that generate their own power or shift usage away from peak hours are the least exposed to that trend.
Source
- Pending and Recent Electric Rate Cases, NY Department of Public Service (retrieved July 1, 2026)
- About Con Edison's Rates, Con Edison (retrieved July 1, 2026)
- PSC Cuts Central Hudson's Rate Request, NY Department of Public Service (retrieved July 1, 2026)
- PSC Dramatically Reduces National Grid's Rate Request, NY Department of Public Service (retrieved July 1, 2026)
NYSERB.com is an independent research site. It is not affiliated with the New York Public Service Commission, the Department of Public Service, or any utility. Rate cases change frequently. Verify current rates directly with your utility and the Department of Public Service before making any financial decision.
Verified against dps.ny.gov, www.coned.com, dps.ny.gov, dps.ny.gov on July 1, 2026.