42.7% higher for the same electricity use. Central Hudson’s annual-average monthly bill example at 600 kWh rose from $118.06 in 2021 to $168.53 in 2025. More increases are already approved across several New York utilities. See what is approved, what is still proposed, and what solar could change for your home.
Why Are Utility Costs Rising?
Your bill can rise for more than one reason:
- Approved delivery-rate changes fund the utility network and service.
- Electricity supply prices can change with market conditions.
- Heating, cooling and other household use affect how many kilowatt-hours you buy.
- Taxes and other charges also affect the total.
That is why a delivery-rate headline and the change in your total bill are not interchangeable. The utility examples below identify the usage and bill basis.
Approved rate increases are only part of the bill. Delivery rates pay for the utility’s network and service. Supply charges pay for electricity and can change with market conditions. Even an approved multi-year delivery plan does not make your total bill fixed: supply costs, usage and other charges can still move it up or down. Central Hudson’s explanation of delivery and supply · PSC explanation of fluctuating total bills
The practical question is how much electricity your own roof can produce and how much you would still need to buy. Get that comparison before the next approved increase arrives.
Compare price and usage separately. A higher bill does not always mean you used more electricity. Look at the kilowatt-hours on your bill alongside supply, delivery and other charges. The historical examples below hold monthly usage constant so you can see the change in the illustrated bill.
Weather still matters. Electric heating during cold weather and air conditioning during hot weather can increase household use. A solar proposal should account for your consumption across the year, including planned changes such as an EV or heat pump, rather than rely on one unusually high or low bill.
The same electricity. A much bigger bill. Central Hudson’s published example for a home using 600 kWh a month rose from $118.06 in 2021 to $168.53 in 2025: 42.7% higher, or $50.47 more each month. National Grid’s Central-zone example rose about 39% over the same years, also at 600 kWh. These are utility examples at unchanged usage—not a claim that every homeowner saw the same increase. Central Hudson bill history · National Grid bill history
More increases are already approved. Your next bill should not be the first time you look at what your roof could produce. Start with your electric bill and compare a solar design for your home.
Your Utility’s Next Increase: Approved Plans and Pending Requests
Rate information checked October 6, 2026. Dollar figures below are changes to illustrated total monthly electric bills at the stated usage, not delivery-only percentages or forecasts of every household’s bill.
- National Grid: another $4.34 a month from April 1, 2027. Its adopted plan illustrates a 2.94% total-bill increase for a Central-zone residential customer using 625 kWh a month. That follows the April 2026 step of $6.44, or 4.59%. PSC approved bill examples · Approved schedule, printed pages 11–12
- Central Hudson: another $6.01 a month from July 1, 2027. The adopted plan’s 630-kWh example shows a 3.23% total-bill step, following $6.25, or 3.47%, from July 1, 2026. That next increase is already in the approved plan. PSC approved bill examples · Approved schedule, printed pages 12–13
- NYSEG: three prior steps totaling $30.16 in the monthly bill illustration—and a new case still pending. For 600 kWh a month, the previous plan specified increases of $9.94 in November 2023, $8.88 in May 2024 and $11.34 in May 2025. The temporary increase effective June 1, 2026 is $0.32, or 0.2%, in the PSC’s total-bill example. The company’s original new request was $33.12 more monthly; that request is not an approved increase. Previous plan · Temporary bill example · Current case status
- RG&E: three prior steps totaling $19.35 in the monthly bill illustration. At 600 kWh, those increases were $6.47 in November 2023, $5.98 in May 2024 and $6.90 in May 2025. Temporary rates effective June 1, 2026 add $3.65, or 2.9%, in the PSC’s example. Its original new request was $33.01 more monthly, but permanent rates remain undecided. Previous plan · Temporary bill example · Current case status
- Con Edison, Westchester: approved increases continue through 2028. The PSC’s 425-kWh residential example shows monthly increases of $5.27 for 2026, $4.94 for 2027 and $4.95 for 2028. These are successive annual plan steps; the 2026 example includes the adjustment for implementation beginning in February. PSC approved Westchester examples, Table II
- Orange & Rockland, New York: another $5.33 a month in January 2027. The approved 600-kWh example shows a 3.5% total-bill step, following $4.93, or 3.3%, in 2026. These figures apply to O&R’s New York service, not Rockland Electric in New Jersey. PSC approved bill examples · O&R approved plan dates, Note B
Historical annual-average bills and approved rate-plan examples are different measures and may use different monthly consumption. Do not add the plan increases to the historical bill totals. The NYSEG and RG&E three-step totals are sums of the plan’s illustrated increases, not measurements of actual household bill growth. Actual bills vary with usage, supply costs, taxes and other charges. Temporary NYSEG/RG&E rates are subject to the final decisions and reconciliation.
Put your roof to work before the next rate increase. Bring us your electric bill. We’ll show what solar could produce, the installed cost and the utility charges that would remain—then compare battery backup if keeping essential loads powered matters to your family.
Why Act Now -
How Solar Helps You Save
Your roof could cover part of the electricity you keep paying the utility to supply.
Start with a solar design based on your household’s annual use, roof and shading. Compare solar on its own with solar plus storage, including what each option costs and what it can do for your home.
See Your Numbers Before the Next Increase
Ask for projected solar production, remaining utility charges and any financing payments in one clear comparison. Savings depend on your system, electricity use, rates and purchase terms. A proposal gives you numbers to evaluate before you commit.
Buy Less Electricity from Your Utility
Every kilowatt-hour your solar panels supply to your home is one you do not need to buy from the grid at that moment. Your proposal should show expected production, remaining utility charges and any financing payments. Solar can reduce your exposure to changing electricity prices; it does not freeze your entire utility bill.
Up to $5,000 in New York Solar Tax Credits
New York’s solar equipment credit equals 25% of qualifying expenditures, up to $5,000, for an eligible system at your principal residence. It is nonrefundable, with unused credit eligible to carry forward for up to five years. Confirm your eligible net costs and tax situation with your tax adviser. See New York’s official credit rules.
Adding battery backup? Qualifying NYSERDA storage incentives reduce the project price upfront. Your award depends on the applicable funding block, eligible capacity, location and program requirements. Check NYSERDA’s current funding dashboard. An inquiry alone does not reserve an incentive.
See the current New York solar and battery incentives, then ask us to show your available incentives separately from the system price and any Kasselman offer.
Sources and further reading
- EnergySage: New York electricity costs (source of the original illustration above)
- Central Hudson: historical residential bill examples
- National Grid: historical residential bill examples
- New York Department of Public Service: approved and pending utility rate cases (specific utility examples are linked in the rate section above)
- New York: solar equipment tax credit
- NYSERDA: current residential storage incentive funding
- IRS: federal Residential Clean Energy Credit eligibility and end date
Published: March 7, 2025 · Updated: October 6, 2026
