PURA Cuts Public Benefits Charge, Reducing CT Electric Bills

Connecticut electricity customers will see their bills drop by roughly 15% starting May 1, after the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority voted unanimously Wednesday to slash the public benefits charge that appears on monthly statements.

The cuts translate to real money. Eversource customers will pay 4.3 cents less per kilowatt-hour, knocking about $30 off the average monthly bill. United Illuminating customers see an even larger reduction: 4.9 cents per kilowatt-hour, or roughly $34 a month. Actual savings will vary based on usage and rate class.

The public benefits charge funds an array of state-mandated programs, from clean energy procurements to benefits for low-income ratepayers. Wednesday’s vote all but eliminates it from customer bills, at least temporarily.

Ned Lamont credited the reductions to decisions his administration made under significant political pressure, including the state’s long-term agreements to purchase power from two nuclear plants. “Today’s announcement by PURA is good news for residents, who are soon to get some much-needed relief,” the governor said in a statement. “This is the direct result of the difficult but necessary decisions we made over the past few years, including restructuring utility arrearages and betting on nuclear power to offset the volatility of fossil fuel prices. I’m glad these decisions are paying off and helping to lower bills for our residents.”

Both regulators and utility officials confirmed that those nuclear contracts drove the bulk of the savings. Connecticut’s long-term agreements with Waterford’s Millstone Nuclear Power Station and Seabrook Station in New Hampshire have locked in relatively stable power prices at a moment when fossil fuel markets remain unpredictable.

The adjustments also reflect savings tied to Senate Bill 4, passed last year as an omnibus energy measure designed to cushion residents from surging electricity costs. Supporters of that legislation were quick to claim credit Wednesday.

Not everyone viewed the announcement as an unqualified win. Eversource spokeswoman Jamie Ratliff offered a pointed reminder that the decreases are temporary and arrive just as summer air conditioning loads typically push household usage higher. The net benefit on customers’ actual bills may be smaller than the headline numbers suggest.

Ratliff also took aim at decisions made under PURA’s previous leadership. She argued that the former authority, then chaired by Marissa Gillett, set public benefits rates above the actual cost of state-mandated contracts last year, overriding Eversource’s recommendation for steeper cuts. “The former PURA leadership set the rates higher than the actual cost of those state-mandated contracts last year, despite our strong recommendation to the contrary,” Ratliff said. “Customers are basically seeing a refund of that cost.” Gillett stepped down from the chairmanship in October; four new board members have since filled out the authority.

The lower rates run through April 30, 2027, giving customers a full year of relief. PURA could revisit the public benefits charge again in September, potentially adjusting rates further in either direction.

The caveat embedded in Ratliff’s statement deserves attention. If the current rate structure reflects an overcollection from last year rather than a durable structural shift, customers should expect the charge to climb again once the refund period works itself through the accounting. Connecticut’s electricity costs have been a persistent political problem, and a one-year reprieve is not the same as a long-term fix.

Still, for households that have watched their utility bills climb sharply over recent years, May’s adjustment offers tangible relief at a useful moment. Spring bills tend to run lower before summer cooling costs kick in, meaning customers may not feel the full benefit immediately. The real test comes in July and August, when usage spikes and the savings from the reduced public benefits charge compete against higher consumption charges.

Connecticut’s energy politics rarely produce simple victories, and this week’s announcement follows that pattern. The numbers are real, the relief is real, but the structural questions about how the state funds its clean energy commitments and low-income programs have not disappeared. They’ve been deferred.