
Rome Residents Accuse National Grid of Post-Tornado Price Gouging
The City of Rome is still recovering from a terrible EF-2 tornado, and residents are now dealing with a new problem... utility bills.
Several residents raised concerns after noticing their National Grid bills doubled, tripled, and even quadrupled in some cases.
Mercedes, who declined providing her last name to Townsquare Media, said her bill doubled in cost. Last month, she was charged $218 and, this month, National Grid says she owes $406, which is an 82% increase.
Mercedes told Townsquare Media, "[National Grid] said my usage went from about 1760 kWh to 2392 [...] There is no way our usage was that much higher."
Mercedes said she lost power for five days after the tornado, but even before that she reduced her power consumption. She would use her grill for cooking and minimized using her air conditioner - instead opting to use fans and opening the windows at night "while it was cooler."
Another Rome resident named Ariel, who also declined Townsquare Media from using her last name, shared a similar story. Her bill went up by 329 percent.
She told Townsquare Media she was charged about $178 last month and, this month, she was hit with a $765 bill.
Ariel said she is on a fixed monthly payment plan and had also cut her consumption to keep costs low. She added she was going to pay last month's bill on Thursday, so even though the previous total is reflected in the current amount, it still reflects a 229% increase.
Both Mercedes and Ariel's stories are echoed by other concerned residents who have noted sizeable differences in their National Grid bills. Many have taken to social media to share their concerns and outrage.
Their concerns reached Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who said the charges are "shocking and outrageous" if true.
It's an outrage, especially since people lost power. It's absurd that they're having to pay more.
Senator Gillibrand said she will "look into" the complaints and called for an investigation into possible price gouging to see if National Grid is "passing whatever their costs are onto customers."
Townsquare Media inquired about the alleged high utility bills to National Grid. Spokesperson Jared Paventi said that while they can't comment on specific customer accounts, he encouraged those with concerns to contact 1-800-642-4272.
Paventi also added the Mohawk Valley saw more days over 80 degrees than the prior billing cycle and that likely increased usage, of which he said "is always a driver of energy costs in the summer."
Paventi also confirmed:
The cost of electric supply for our customers in Central New York went up slightly during the month of July. The average residential customer using 600 kwh paid about $3 more than they did in June. National Grid does not markup the cost of electricity; our customers always pay the wholesale price for their energy.
The cost of electric delivery went up slightly in July. The average residential customer, based on average usage, saw an increase of $6 from June.
Townsquare Media has reached out to National Grid for clarification on some concerns raised by residents and will update the story once we hear back.
In the meantime, Rome residents can apply to the victim recovery fund to recoup damages sustained during the tornado.
Read More: Rome Victim Recovery Fund Applications Now Being Accepted
This story will be updated. Keep checking back for updates.
DISCLAIMER
Townsquare Media is not making any accusations against National Grid or any utility provider. We are reporting what we have been told by both parties and will maintain neutrality on this issue. Should we learn anything else, this story will be updated to reflect those changes or admissions.

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