A poll has shown widespread dissatisfaction with electric costs in New Jersey, with seven in 10 voters saying their bills are unreasonable.
Those voters are far more likely to blame utility companies than politicians for the high costs, and many also support reducing the returns utilities can make on infrastructure spending.
Here's what to know
As the New Jersey Globe reported, North Node Group surveyed 724 registered voters in New Jersey from Sept. 22 through Sept. 26 for Evergreen Action and Power Play New Jersey, with a margin of error of about 4.4%.
In that poll, 70% of respondents said electricity costs were unreasonable for what they receive, including 44% who called them very unreasonable.
On a 10-point scale measuring unaffordability, 66% placed their electric bills in the seven-to-10 range, and 36% chose the worst possible score.
When asked who bore the most responsibility for high electric bills, 32% named utility companies, their profits, or their fees.
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Another 20% blamed government or politicians in general, while 8% specifically pointed to Democrats, Gov. Phil Murphy, or Gov. Mikie Sherrill. An additional 7% cited President Donald Trump or federal policies.
The responses indicate that voters are not only upset about higher electricity costs but are also paying attention to how much utilities make from infrastructure investments.
More background
The poll found support across party lines for cutting the profits utilities are allowed to collect on infrastructure investments, which average about 9.6%. Overall, half of voters believed that rate should be lowered.
Support was similar across partisan groups, with 51% of Democrats, 51% of Republicans, and 47% of unaffiliated voters favoring a cut. Just 8% opposed it, while 42% said they did not know enough to take a position.
The survey also pointed to a type of financial stress that official utility records may easily miss.
Some 14% of voters said they had used buy now, pay later services such as Klarna and Afterpay to pay an energy bill at least once, and 5% said they do so every month.
Because those payments go through outside lenders, utility delinquency or shutoff data may not reflect the strain.
Some respondents said they reduced grocery spending, fell behind on bills, or had to choose between paying for electricity and covering other household necessities.
What's being done?
Evergreen Action and Power Play New Jersey organized the poll as part of an effort to push utility reforms focused on how much companies are permitted to pass on to ratepayers.
A central issue in that campaign is the approximate 9.6% return utilities can receive on infrastructure investments.
The findings suggest that frustration over electric bills may target utility rate-setting rules and fee structures more than party politics, since more voters blamed utilities than elected officials.
Gov. Mikie Sherrill also received a positive job approval rating in the poll: 47% approved, 36% disapproved, and 17% were undecided.
Where can I learn more?
New Jersey voters are not the only ones frustrated by rising power costs.
• Across America, many households don't trust their power bills and lose sleep over costs.
• Utilities have steered money from electricity bills into battles over regional transmission lines.
• Rural communities are fighting data center projects expected to push electricity costs even higher.
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