Texas utility bills skyrocket12/25/2022 ![]() But a drastic bill jump overnight, he says, is “highway robbery.” “It’s so frustrating, because we have no choice.” Sze adds that reports of a “steady” 13.5 percent increase to Con Edison bills in 2022, as announced in 2020, are digestible to him. ![]() “It’s like your prescription drug just fucking tripled overnight, what are you going to do, not pay it?” says Sze. In a statement to Greenpointers, assemblywoman Emily Gallagher echoed these sentiments, with further choice words for the energy company, saying, “Con Edison will blame this outrageous surge in electricity bills on the cost of natural gas, and while there’s truth in that, the fact is they should have been better prepared and more transparent.”Ī spokesperson for Con Edison stated in an email that the energy company agreed bills had been “impacted by the cost of natural gas in the generation of electricity.” However, the spokesperson maintained that Con Edison was not to blame, saying the company “does not generate electricity nor can we manage the financial practices of the private power generators or the suppliers of the natural gas.”Ī drastic bill jump overnight, Sze says, is “highway robbery.”įor small business owners like Sze of 886, the unexpected cost increases cuts deeply into overall profits. In response to the recent reports of Con Edison increases, state senator Julia Salazar took to Twitter to call for the Build Public Renewables Act, which was introduced last year. 1 owner Christian Pineda says he hadn’t yet seen a notable jump at his five locations throughout Manhattan. Not all businesses have seen as dramatic of an increase, though. Her other businesses faced a similar increase. Meanwhile, Autumn Stanford, who owns two locations of Brooklyn Kolache, as well as Tailfeather bar and Swell Dive, says her bill at the Dekalb Avenue location of Brooklyn Kolache roughly doubled from the usual $400 to $500 per month to $900 in January. Gary He/Eater NYĪlicia Guevara, owner of vegan cafe Guevara’s, which has a location in Clinton Hill and Williamsburg, said her bill went up by 25 percent this month - amounting to an increase of $800 to $1,000 in extra payments - at her larger location in Domino Park. Taiwanese restaurant 886 in the East Village. He adds that, in 2021, his average monthly electric bill, by contrast, was around $1,680 - less than half his most recent bill. ![]() Eric Sze, the owner behind the East Village’s 886, tells Eater that he saw a nearly 60 percent increase to his bill this month when it jumped from $2,846 in December to $4,588 in January. Restaurants across the city experienced similar unexpected spikes in electricity costs as their residential neighbors. The recent unexpected price hike comes at a time when Consumer Price Index data shows inflation hit a troubling 7.5 percent increase over the past year, signifying the fastest rate of inflation since 1982, according to the New York Times. Local publication Greenpointers reported this week that many North Brooklyn residents saw their January Con Edison bills double in cost, with some neighbors claiming their bills tripled. The surprise bill payments are just the latest in the wave of supply chain shortages, rising cost of goods, and labor issues restaurants have faced over the course of the past two years. ![]() NYC restaurants including Taiwanese hot spot 886, vegan cafe Guevara’s, and Texas-inspired bakery Brooklyn Kolache were hit with skyrocketing electric bills last month, causing a growing sense of panic amongst operators who weren’t able to budget for the sudden increases.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |