Eversource seeks an 11% Connecticut rate hike while shielding 300,000 records from the public

A utility company in Connecticut is facing pushback after requesting a significant rate increase while withholding the underlying records that support the proposal from its customers.

According to WFSB, Eversource, a utility company that serves over 4 million people in New England, plans to ask regulators for an 11% rate increase while attempting to keep more than 300,000 documents in the proposal confidential. 

What's happening?

Opposition is already forming, WFSB reported. The Connecticut Consumer Council is challenging the confidentiality request, saying ratepayers should be able to examine the basis for an increase that could add hundreds of millions of dollars to utility bills statewide.

While advocacy groups told WFSB that keeping some documents in proposals like this is normal to keep certain trade secrets under wraps, this volume is unusual. 

"It reduced the ability for peoples such as myself and other organizations to even attempt to analyze this filing or be involved," Lindsay Griffin from nonprofit advocacy group Vote Solar told WFSB. "It's sending this message – we don't know what we don't know."

Why does it matter?

When a utility asks customers for more money, public scrutiny is one of the few tools ratepayers have to determine whether the request is justified, excessive, or tied to questionable business decisions.

Asking households to pay more while limiting their ability to see what they are paying for risks eroding public trust even further.

Electricity is a notable household expense, and even a modest percentage increase can make a noticeable difference for families already juggling rent, groceries, insurance, and transportation costs.

Across a customer base this large, an 11% increase could translate into hundreds of millions of dollars in extra costs. That makes transparency more than a procedural concern — it becomes a household affordability issue.

What's being done?

So far, the strongest response is coming from state officials challenging the secrecy request before regulators make a final decision.

The Connecticut Consumer Council and clean energy advocates are formally objecting, making clear they do not think customers should be blocked from reviewing the documents supporting a major rate case. Their pushback could help force a more transparent review process, or at least narrow what the company is allowed to keep private.

WFSB reported that Attorney General William Tong agrees with critics. 

"Eversource wants hundreds of millions of dollars more from ratepayers, but they don't want you to see what you are paying for," he said in a statement. "That's not how this works. We're going to comb through every page of their application."

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