In the November race for New York governor, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman are clashing over how to address electricity and heating costs. Hochul is pointing to rate regulation and rebate checks, while Blakeman is calling for cutting electric bills in half and lifting the ban on hydrofracking. According to Con Edison, the average monthly electric bill for New York City apartment residents rose from $76 in 2019 to $113 last year.
According to a Gothamist report on Oct. 22, 2026, in the November race for New York governor, Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman are offering diametrically opposed solutions for bringing down soaring electricity and heating costs. Hochul is highlighting the Ratepayer Protection Plan included in this year's state budget, along with energy rebate checks. Blakeman has pledged to cut electric bills in half by reducing taxes, various fees, and transmission and distribution charges.
According to Gothamist, Hochul's plan ties utility profit margins and executive pay to a ratepayer-burden metric set by state regulators. It also expands eligibility for a state program that gives income-qualified residents discounts on their bills, and it scales back the state's climate goals. Hochul argues that scaling back the climate goals will help hold down future rate increases. Ahead of Election Day, millions of residents are also receiving rebate checks of $100 to $200. At a debate on Oct. 13, Hochul said the problem is that power supply falls short of demand, that the rebates are only a short-term measure, and that she is pushing to expand supply.
In an interview with Gothamist, Blakeman said bills could be cut in half by lowering the taxes added to electric and gas bills, reducing excessive distribution costs, and investing in development of the Marcellus Shale. His plan is to repeal the state climate law and green energy programs and to lift the ban on hydrofracking to increase natural gas supply. He also said he would declare a statewide energy emergency in order to lift the ban without approval from the Democratic-controlled state legislature.
Neither candidate's solution has won high marks from experts or residents. Ken Girardin, a research fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute, called Hochul's measures mere "window dressing" and said Blakeman's plan is unrealistic. At a community meeting in Lockport, in western New York, about 50 people gathered to share stories of utility bills that had doubled or tripled in a year. In filings with the state, utilities have cited state-mandated fees, storm damage, rising infrastructure costs, inflation, and higher natural gas supply costs as reasons for rate increases.
The burden on New York City residents has also grown significantly. According to Con Edison, the city's largest utility, the average monthly electric bill for apartment residents in the city rose from $76 in 2019 to $113 last year, and the average monthly home heating bill rose from $137 to $238. In western New York, homeowners who get electricity from New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) saw their average monthly electric bill rise from $70 to $147 and their natural gas bill from $83 to $101. Both candidates' pledges concern energy policy at the New York state level.