Connecticut overhauls rules for electricity rate increases

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut regulators imposed what they called sweeping changes Wednesday to how electricity rate increases are proposed and approved, responding to an uproar by customers over substantially higher bills during the summer.

The state Public Utilities Regulatory Authority unanimously approved new rules for electricity distributors Eversource and United Illuminating. The changes will help prevent dramatic increases in bills, ensure rates more accurately reflect costs and decrease the likelihood that the companies overcharge consumers, the agency said.

“PURA concluded that the current approach to administrative rate adjustments is not in the public interest, is inconsistent with the intent of the authorizing statutes and renders PURA’s role in the review and approval process objectively inconsequential,” the agency said in a statement.

Officials at Eversource, which serves nearly 1.3 million homes and businesses in the state, and United Illuminating, which serves nearly 340,000, said Wednesday that they were reviewing the new regulations and did not offer detailed comments about them. They said they looked forward to working with PURA to make required changes.

The agency also approved redesigning customer bills to make them easier to understand and provide more transparency. The changes to the bills are expected to be in place by next summer.

Eversource rates that were approved by PURA and took effect July 1 took many customers by surprise because their monthly bills increased by hundreds of dollars in some cases. In response to a flood of complaints, the agency suspended the new rates July 31 and investigated.

Eversource said the higher bills were due to several factors, including increased use of air conditioners and other appliances because of hot weather during the summer, more...