BERKELEY – If you are seeing your utility bills go up, you’re not alone. Your elected officials have also been paying more.
At a recent Township Council meeting, Councilman Michael Signorile said he looked at his gas bill and 80% of it was fees. He also got sticker shock from his electric bill.
“A lot of people see fuel as a necessity,” he said. Besides heating and cooling homes, some medicines need to be refrigerated. “They’re killing us with fees. My electric bill doubled in a year.”
He asked the council to pass a resolution asking for relief from the costs.
Mayor John Bacchione said he has spoken to other local mayors and “we’re all in the same boat.” Everyone is seeing increases impacting their residents.
He said they are trying to get towns together “to form a stronger alliance and tell utility companies that we’re not going to put up with it.”
In January, the Ocean County Mayors Association issued a resolution urging that JCP&L be held accountable for recurring outages.
A Jersey Central Power & Light press release from March 7 said that the increases coming on June 1. JCP&L provides the way of transmitting electricity to your house (called Basic Generation Service). You can shop around for better electricity rates.
If you don’t choose a different company, JCP&L will provide the electricity. They will charge you the same amount that they paid for it. The Basic Generation Service cost is set by the Bureau of Public Utilities.
“The upcoming price increases are driven by market conditions, including lower supply and higher demand, that are impacting all electric supply rates across our region,” they said. “JCP&L does not generate electricity or control supply prices; we deliver electricity to your home and collect any supply costs on behalf of suppliers without a markup.”
A November 21 press release from New Jersey Natural Gas announced an increase of $157 million to its base rates. The company requested an increase to recover costs incurred by upgrading infrastructure and making system enhancements.
“This is a reasonable, fair settlement that recognizes the value of the approximately $850 million of investments New Jersey Natural Gas has made in its operations and system since 2021,” said Steve Westhoven, President and CEO of New Jersey Natural Gas. “These investments have significantly enhanced the reliability of our delivery system and supported the critical operation of our lifeline utility service. We thank the Board of Public Utilities and the Division of Rate Counsel for their work in reaching an outcome that balances the interests of our customers and our company.”
Need Help?
Both utilities have programs available if you are having trouble paying your bill.
For JCP&L, visit firstenergycorp.com/newsroom/featured_stories/nj-energy-bills-help.html. First Energy is JCP&L’s parent company.
For New Jersey Natural Gas, visit njng.com/my-account/payment-options/payment-assistance.aspx.
There is a state website that has programs to help people: gardenstateoutreach.us
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