Con Edison faces calls to reimburse Queens residents after heat wave blackouts in New York

Earlier this month, New York City reached 100 degrees as thousands of Queens residents were left without electricity during dangerous heat.

In response, two members of Congress are pressing Con Edison to compensate customers who say the shutoffs brought extreme heat, spoiled food, and added stress.

What happened?

According to QNS, the request followed a severe heat wave connected to three heat-related deaths in New York City, after U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks and Grace Meng asked Con Edison to give bill credits to affected Queens residents.

QNS reported that — beyond the outages in Queens — Con Edison reduced voltage by 8% for roughly 400,000 customers in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, and other parts of Queens. The utility also shut off power on July 3 to nearly 10,000 customers in parts of Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, and South Ozone Park as the grid came under strain.

Writing to CEO Timothy Cawley, Meeks and Meng said residents should not have to absorb the costs of a system failure during hazardous weather. "Our impacted constituents deserve to be reimbursed for the hardships they endured from the outages and shutoffs that occurred through no fault of their own," the letter said.

Why does it matter?

Power outages during a heat wave are far more than an inconvenience. In triple-digit temperatures, air conditioning, refrigeration, fans, medical devices, and phone charging can quickly become necessities, especially for older adults, children, and people with underlying health conditions.

As Meeks and Meng wrote, residents in the affected neighborhoods were already facing "high electricity rates and other skyrocketing costs as families work to make ends meet." Losing power in those circumstances can mean spoiled groceries, lost medications, and unexpected expenses tied to finding a safe place to stay cool.

Utilities play an essential role in daily life, and most customers have no alternative when the grid fails. When a company can reduce service or cut power during extreme heat, then leave residents to seek reimbursement on their own, the burden can fall hardest on those with the least resources.

What's being done?

Meeks and Meng want Con Edison to provide bill credits to customers affected by prolonged outages and shutoffs. Their request reflects the view that the usual claims process may not be enough for a large-scale event that unfolded during dangerous heat.

Con Edison, meanwhile, said residents can file claims through the company's website for losses, including spoiled perishable food and prescription medications. In an email to QNS, a Con Edison spokesperson said: "Each claim will be reviewed based on the specific circumstances of the outage, including its duration and cause, and eligibility for reimbursement will be determined in accordance with our regulations."

The company added, according to QNS, that outages tied to events beyond its control, including storms, may not qualify.

Con Edison said: "Claims must be submitted within 30 days of the outage."

"We hope Con Edison will do the right thing and quickly provide needed bill credits to people in our districts," the lawmakers wrote. 

For now, the company's position remains more limited: Reimbursement will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and "eligibility for reimbursement will be determined in accordance with our regulations."

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