Even without the whopping electric-rate hike Con Ed demands, New Yorkers pay way more to power their homes than nearly anyone else in the nation.
Con Ed led major utility companies in 2005 by charging an average of $52.67 for 250 kilowatt-hours of electricity – enough to power a small apartment for a month – according to numbers from the Energy Information Administration.
Outside Alaska and Hawaii, only five utilities serving in tiny island communities off Long Island, Rhode Island and Maine had higher prices than Con Ed’s average 21.07 cents per kilowatt-hour.
Of utilities with more than 500,000 customers, Con Ed’s prices are 20 percent higher than the No. 2 company – the Long Island Power Authority.
“Electricity costs, which Con Edison does not control, are higher in New York City than in other parts of the country,” said company spokesman Mike Clendenin.