NEWBURGH – A forum hosted by Assemblyman Jonathan Jacobson (D-Newburgh) gave Hudson Valley residents a chance to address Central Hudson’s soaring utility rates on Thursday. Central Hudson Gas & Electric has come under scrutiny by officials after customers have received substantially higher utility bills in the last month.
“The reason I set up this forum is because I have received a number of complaints,” said Jacobson. “The problems we are having are unacceptable.” Central Hudson is blaming the higher bills on winter weather, software issues with its billing system, and a fluctuating energy market.
“We are working with customers one-on-one to rectify their billing problems,” said John Maserjian, Central Hudson’s director of media relations. Maserjian expects the billing issues to dissipate this spring. He said higher energy prices are expected to continue worldwide through this year compared to 2021, a time of historically low prices.
“We completely understand what our customers are going through,” said Maserjian.
Questions included what is being done to help those who are in arrears with their utility bills. As of December 2021, the Public Utility Law Project (PULP) estimated 48,228 Central Hudson accounts are behind by 60 days or more, for a total of $24,764,448. Central Hudson estimates its total customer base to be roughly 393,000.
Budget billing was also advised to a respondent seeking help to thwart these spikes in energy costs.
There have also been issues with the billing of community solar customers, and Maserjian said they should be rectified soon. And it’s something he encouraged customers to take advantage of. “It’s a great way to support community-generated energy and save some money,” he said.
The utility company said it has also hired many new people to help with customer service outreach to cope with these problems.
