Con Ed Reps Come to Morris Park Community Association to Explain Higher Bills

 

Representatives of Con Edison were at last week's Morris Park Community Association meeting to answer questions from people who complained that their Con Ed bills were much higher in January this year than before. The answer provided by Rolando Infante Governmental Relations Manager of Metro New York for Con Edison was that there was a sharp hike in oil at the plants that produce electricity, and the upgrading of Con Edison's grid. With Mr. Infante were Kristina Y. Le Gallo of Customer Outreach and Education, and Belkys Mateo a Customer Operation Supervisor who gave a presentation on energy efficiency, and other ways of lowering your electric bill by unplugging coffee machines, phone chargers and like appliances which use electricity when not in use. 

Afterwards the Con Ed Reps took questions from those in attendance. One question was, can I get my electricity from someone else, to which the answer was yes. They are called Energy Savings Companies, but that is the raw electricity that still has to travel over the Con Edison electric grid to get to you. Another question was about low voltage during heat waves that ruins appliances, and why can't Con Ed supply enough electricity. The answer to that was that during heat waves more power is demanded because more air conditioning and other cooling devices are used. Con Ed cuts the voltage to avoid widespread blackouts, and that the power comes first to the Bronx, and then to the rest of the city. There was also a program called level billing that averages out the bill year round so there are no larger bills in the summer when more power is used. 

Standing (L-R) Kristina Y. Le Gallo and  Belkys Mateo of Con Edison, Seated Elio Morales MPCA Treasurer, and Yahay Obeid MPCA Vice-Chair who ran the meeting in the absence of the Chair Al D'Angelo.

Rolando Infante of Con Edison explains the January increase in Con Ed bills.