Orange And Rockland

O&R Requests Rate Hike

Orange and Rockland Utilities, Inc. requesting a rate hike after one was approved in mid-June.

O&R filed a request Friday with the New York State Public Service Commission (NYSPCS) to increase its electric base rates effective July 1, 2012, when the utility company's current plan expires.

The raise that was approved in June runs through June 30, 2012 and it increased the monthly costs for the average residential customer by approximately 2.2 percent, which is about $3. That increase was less than O&R had asked for.

The new request would increase customer costs 3.2 percent, which is an average of about $3.78 per month for the typical customer, according to a release from O&R.

The proposal from O&R also includes a three-year electric rate plan establishing plans through the end of June 2015.

"The recent record-breaking heat wave and the successful operation of the O&R electric system illustrated that the investments we have made in system capacity and reliability improvements have resulted in the high quality of service that our customers expect," said O&R President and CEO Bill Longhi. "Despite the tremendous strain that the exceptional electric demand exerted on the system, we managed cutomers' electrical use effectively, experienced relatively few heat-related outages and ordered no voltage reductions."

The total increase O&R is requesting comes to $17.7 million. According to O&R, the company is expecting increased operational costs of $27 million, some of which will be offset in other areas.

Part of the increase in operational costs is due to construction projects designed to improve electrical services, such as the new substation in Orangetown and projects in Clarkstown and West Nyack.

Orange & Rockland, NSTAR, PPL Utilities Brace For Heat Wave in Mid ...

Share Email Share Email Greet the Heat

Searing temperatures have blazed across the US this week as a record-breaking heat wave pushes the mercury to the 100 degree mark and beyond, carving a scorching swath that now looms on the eastern seaboard. As if the ever-present dangers of wildfires, drought, dehydration and heat exhaustion weren’t enough, a heat wave like this poses even more challenges for electricity companies in the affected areas.

Several utilities in the eastern coastal states are bracing for what they are expecting will amount to tremendous strain on the power grids. More and more citizens, hoping to create their own refrigerated refuge, will likely crank up the air conditioning, keep the thermostat lower and leave it running constantly. The longer the heat wave, the higher the energy spikes.

Utilities Orange and Rockland, NSTAR and PPL have begun posting alerts and discussing proactive measures in preparation for the blistering days ahead. They are urging citizens in the Mid-Atlantic states to be vigilant about their energy consumption, as well as employing their own set of strategies for dealing with the heat wave:

New Jersey – Orange & Rockland

Amidst the myriad weather warnings and alerts, Orange & Rockland (O&R) Utilities, which serves about 75,000 residents in North Jersey, issued its own heat advisory last Monday. As usage on the utility’s electric system rose past the 1300 Megawatt threshold, the company’s status was raised to ‘heat-watch’ and prompted the alerts.  Non-essential maintenance and any grid servicing that isn’t an emergency will be postponed.

O&R is telling its electricity customers to set their air conditioner’s fan to a low setting and use fans to help keep the cooled air circulating. They recommend drawing shades, closing blinds and curtains and keeping doors and windows well sealed. Keep thermostats at reasonable levels, and turn it off when no one is home.

Massachusetts – NSTAR

Citizens in Boston are strangers to triple-digit heat, but as the heat wave rolls into Massachusetts, NSTAR is helping to ensure they are well prepared nonetheless. The utility serves about a million electricity customers across the Bay State. NSTAR employs tenacious maintenance and upgrade activities on the grid during the rest of the more temperate seasons of the year in preparation for the peak summer months.

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