State’s Energy Costs Highest in U.S.

It’s usually good to be number one—just not when it comes to leading the country in energy costs, as Connecticut does.
Unfortunately, it has become all too routine for Connecticut businesses to take phone calls from other states trying to lure them away with the promise of lower business costs, including energy.

A 2016 study ranked Connecticut as having the highest monthly energy bills in the nation.
The state adopted its first Comprehensive Energy Strategy in 2014.
Since then, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and the state legislature have made significant and successful efforts to stimulate greater energy generation from cleaner and renewable fuel sources—primarily solar and wind.
These efforts have made Connecticut one of the cleanest energy-generation states in the country. That’s the good news.
Now is the time for the legislature and DEEP to focus on the task of making Connecticut’s energy bills lower than other New England states.

Three Ways to Lower Energy Costs

CBIA suggests three ways to accomplish this:

1. During upcoming public briefings to the legislature’s Energy and Technology Committee, DEEP and the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority must clearly explain why Connecticut’s energy costs are higher than other states in New England and how to change that paradigm.
2. With the new three-year CES being finalized over the next few months, this version must place a high priority on reducing Connecticut’s electricity costs relative to other New England states—far beyond relying on ratepayer subsidized conservation and efficiency programs to lower individual bills for those who can take advantage of them.
3. We also must ensure that recommendations from the Governor’s Council on Climate Change undergo rigorous and independent scrutiny for their impacts on Connecticut’s energy costs and competitiveness.

These three important, no-cost steps by the legislature could significantly help set Connecticut on the path towards becoming a more competitive state by lowering energy costs.

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For more information, contact CBIA’s Eric Brown (860.244.1926) | @CBIAericb