Connecticut’s residential electric bills fell over the past year while rates rose nationally, dropping the state out of the 10 most expensive states for electricity
The Connecticut Mirror attributed most of the decline to changes to the public benefits charge and the state’s fixed-rate contract with the Millstone nuclear plant
A pending Eversource rate request could raise bills again, and Attorney General William Tong has criticized it
After years of fighting to reduce electric bills, the efforts of Connecticut legislators are finally paying off. While electric rates are jumping across the country, they’re down more than 10% in the last year in Connecticut.
That 10% decline, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration data, helped push Connecticut out of the top 10 states with the highest electricity costs this year, a remarkable change.
While Connecticut had the fifth-highest electric costs in 2025, it fell to 12 th nationally in 2026, according to the Connecticut Mirror.
The 10% decline in electricity costs from 2025 to 2026 was notable compared to a 5% increase across the rest of the country in that same period. Only four other states saw their electricity prices fall in that period, and Connecticut now has lower electricity prices than its neighbors New York, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Hawaii, California and New Hampshire, among others, are also now above Connecticut. New York and New Hampshire each saw 2025-26 price increases over 10%.
What spurred the positive change for Connecticut? The Mirror pointed to changes to the public benefits charge, which supports energy programs and carbon-free energy generation. The Millstone Nuclear Power Station’s fixed-rate contract with the state is lower than natural gas costs in the current market, helping reduce prices roughly two years after it was blamed for a significant spike.
Governor Lamont’s office announced in April that the public benefits charge became a credit for at least several months this year, and the Millstone agreement allowed the state to diversity fuel sources following winter storms, cold snaps and the war in Iran constraining fuel markets.
There are concerns that this progress could be short-lived. Over the summer, Eversource filed a rate increase request that, if approved without changes, could increase the average Connecticut monthly electric bill by 18%, WFSB reported.
Such progress needs to be sustained, as well. Legislators including State Senator Norm Needleman, Senate Chair of the Energy and Technology Committee, are pushing for permanent structural changes to reduce costs rather than to rely on one-time credits.
