City officials are voicing their concerns as New Yorkers face a potentially dangerous situation this summer.
What is happening?
As detailed by Gothamist, the office of New York City comptroller Brad Lander published a report revealing that 30% of New Yorkers are "energy insecure," meaning they are struggling to meet their energy needs.
As the dawn of the summer brings scorching temperatures, city residents are having trouble paying their energy bills because of a "triple whammy" of "rising energy costs, hotter temperatures from climate change, and funding cuts to federal energy assistance by the Trump administration," Lander said in the report, per Gothamist.
The report determined that 42% of New Yorkers (3.5 million) have fallen behind on utility payments within the last five years, while 23% (1.9 million) have had their utilities shut off due to unpaid bills. It was also found that a significant number of New Yorkers don't have access to air conditioners or cooling appliances.
Why is this important?
The climate crisis has caused temperatures around the world to reach extreme levels, and New York City has a particularly dire outlook. The nonprofit Climate Central determined that the city's skyscraper buildings, lack of tree cover, and vast amount of vehicles that release carbon pollution increase temperatures by 10 degrees, per the report. Lander warned that this could lead to severe health risks.
"People's lives are at stake every year," Lander said, per Gothamist. "We lose more lives to heat than any other climate catastrophe. Hundreds of New Yorkers have already died from heat emergencies, from heat stroke, and if people can't afford their air conditioning, then many more will die."
Gothamist cited city health department data that revealed "an estimated 580 New Yorkers died prematurely due to extreme heat every year between 2013 and 2022."
To make matters even worse, Con Edison proposed double-digit rate hikes to the state's Public Service Commission, which would take effect at the start of 2026 and further exacerbate affordability concerns.
What can be done about this?
Con Edison offers bill discounts to customers receiving federal assistance through the Energy Affordability Program.
In a statement to Gothamist, the company also said it supports affordability policies such as an extension of the federal Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, but that's one of the many climate-friendly initiatives that would be eliminated under President Donald Trump's proposed budget. Lander stressed the need to deny the proposal for further rate hikes.
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Always 👍 "The city should say, 'Look, if you give Con Ed these rate increases without any relief, more New Yorkers are going to die, and many more won't be able to afford their bills,'" he told Gothamist.
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