Con Edison invests in new technology, upgrades to prepare for summer demand
Con Edison recently said that it has invested $1.5 billion in its overhead and underground systems in New York City and Westchester County to prepare for this summer’s demand.
The company forecasts that peak demand for electricity will reach 13,300 megawatts. The record of 13,322 megawatts was set at 5 p.m. on July 19, 2013.
To prepare for summer, the company installed a 12 megawatt-hour battery system on company-owned land in Ozone Park, Queens. It also upgraded, reinforced or replaced 18 network transformers, 74 overhead transformers, 37 underground feeder sections and 136 overhead spans. Con Edison also installed 1,000 devices in manholes that detect heat and gas in underground structures. Identifying the buildup enables crews to make repairs before a cable fails.
“By making significant investments in our electric delivery systems and deploying new technologies, we provide the reliable service that our customers count on during sweltering summer days,” Tim Cawley, president of Con Edison, said. “We’re also making it easier for our customers to choose energy efficiency, solar and other products and services that can help reduce monthly bills and provide a cleaner environment.”
Con Edison expects its customers’ bills from June to September to be higher than the same period last year due primarily to increased supply charges, the company said.
The bill for a typical New York City residential customer who uses 350 kilowatt-hours per month is expected to increase by 8.4 percent from $96.89 in 2017 to $105.02 this year, Con Edison said. A typical Westchester residential customer who uses 500-kilowatt hours per month will see an average increase of 4.5 percent from $128.24 in 2017 to $133.98.
The company expects monthly bills for business customers to decrease slightly. A New York City business customer using 10,800-kilowatt hours and having a peak demand of 31 kilowatts will see its average monthly summer bills decrease from $2,283 in 2017 to $2,274.
Supply charges have remained relatively low the past three years but are forecasted this year to return to approximately the same levels as in 2014. Summer bills are still expected to be slightly lower than four years ago.
In addition to high supply charges, the increase is also due, to a lesser extent, to higher delivery charges.
Customers can save money and energy, Con Edison noted, by taking advantage of incentives to make upgrades to their homes and businesses, participating in energy efficiency programs. The company also encouraged customers to consider renewable energy.
