New York Public Service Department finds performance of major utilities satisfactory

The New York State Public Service Commission recently received an annual review from Department of Public Service staff that found that the state’s major utilities provided a satisfactory level of customer service in 2016.

The review assesses the utilities’ performance in electric reliability service, gas safety, electric safety and customer service for 2016. The study found an increase in service interruptions, but the outages were shorter than the historical average.

“Overall, financial incentives and strong oversight by the Department of Public Service have been effective
in encouraging utilities to make customer service a priority,” Interim Commission Chairman Gregg Sayre said. “Department staff will continue to monitor customer service quality and promote performance-based ratemaking strategies to maintain and improve the quality of customer service.”

Central Hudson Gas and Electric Corporation, Orange & Rockland Utilities, Inc. and St. Lawrence Gas Company, Inc. earned financial credits for reducing customer terminations and uncollectible bills.

With the exception of major storms, the frequency of outages in the state was 8 percent higher than the previous year and higher than the statewide five-year average. The length of the interruptions was 6.1 percent lower than last year and 2.7 percent better than the statewide five-year average. The three major causes of outages, excluding storms, were incidents involving trees and power lines followed by equipment failures and accidents.