A new survey indicates that over half of New York City voters find their electric bills to be prohibitively high, particularly as a historic heatwave grips the city. The Honan Strategy Group 5 Borough Barometer poll found that only 47% of residents can comfortably run air conditioning without financial worry.
An almost equal share, 44%, reported that they have air conditioning but limit its use to manage their electric bills, while 9% stated they do not have AC or did not provide an opinion. Pollster Bradley Honan, president and CEO of the Honan Strategy Group, described the situation as a "quiet crisis" where a majority of voters are making daily choices between their health and their utility costs during a period when summer temperatures routinely exceed 90 degrees.
New York's high electric bills have become a prominent issue, with property taxes and other levies imposed by state lawmakers contributing to costs paid to utility providers like Con Edison and National Grid. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, criticized the state's utility bills, stating they are 70% above the national average and promising to cut them if elected governor.
In response to the financial strain, Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, allocated $1 billion in the state budget for one-time energy rebate checks. These rebates, up to $200, are intended to provide relief to over 8 million New Yorkers.
The Honan Strategy Group conducted its survey by interviewing 614 voters via text message between June 12 and June 17. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.96 percentage points.