Winter Bill FAQs

Your electric usage changes due to a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the number of days in the billing cycle, the amount of daylight, a change in appliance use and the use of electric heat. Monthly fluctuations, including those of 1,000 kWh or more, are not uncommon for customers that heat with electric.

NO. Massena Electric reads your meter monthly and your bill is based on those actual reads.

Massena Electric purchases 100% of the electricity consumed by its customers, this includes a fixed allocation of hydroelectric power from NYPA. Any power purchased above that allocation is supplemental or incremental power and is bought at market prices. The PPAC serves as a way to recover the cost of power purchased and is based on actual power related expenditures from the prior month.

The hydro allocation accounts for roughly 70% of the power purchased annually to meet the needs of our customers. During heating months, the allocation accounts for less than 50% of the power needed forcing Massena Electric to purchase more supplemental power, increasing the PPAC.

Bills issued in January were higher than the prior month and compared to January 2024. These bills reflected consumption and power costs from December 2024. Power related expenditures during this month exceeded $1 million, double the charges from November 2024 and 60% higher than December 2023.

Bills for February are even higher than those issued in January. Temperatures in January were colder than December, and compared to January 2024, resulting in higher usage by customers. Electricity costs throughout the eastern half the country were higher in January compared to December. Power related expenditures exceeded $1.7 million in January, resulting the higher PPAC reflected on your February Bill.

Each year from December through April, residential customers that use more than 1,500 kilowatt hours (kWh) during the month are charged the Supplemental PPAC on usage above 1,500 kWh. The Supplemental PPAC was initially implemented in 2015 and temporarily suspended during 2020 and 2021. The suspension was approved by our regulator who also authorized reinstituting the charge in 2022.

Some of the costs associated with purchasing supplemental power are reflected in the Supplemental PPAC. Bills issued in January 2025 were higher than December 2024 and compared to January 2024. These January 2025 bills reflected consumption and power costs from December 2024. Supplemental Power related expenditures during this month exceeded $650,000 which is over $550,000 higher than the charges from November 2024 and double the charges from December 2023.

Bills for February 2025 are even higher than those issued in January. This is because temperatures in January 2025 were colder than December 2024, and colder than January 2024, resulting in higher usage by customers. Electricity costs throughout the eastern half of the country were also higher in January 2025 compared toDecember 2024 due to the widespread cold weather. Supplemental Power related expenditures incurred by Massena Electric exceeded $1.2 million in January. This increase is reflected in the higher Supplemental PPAC billed in February.

NO. Cold temperatures extended throughout the Northeast driving up usage, and price, of both electricity and natural gas. In December 2024 the average market price for electricity was over 7¢ per kWh and exceeded 10¢ during peak hours. January expenditures were even higher with average exceeding 9.5¢ and over 25¢ during peak hours. During the same months in 2023 and 2024 the average was at or below 5¢ per kWh.

Even with these higher than normal prices, customer bills are still well below the neighboring Investor Owned Utility (IOU).

Yes. Massena Electric has a budget billing program. This will not reduce the amount you owe. . However, it will spread out these high heating bills over the course of the next several months. If you are interested in a levelized payment plan, call 315-764-0253 and ask about Budget Billing.

If you need assistance with your bill you can contact the Home Energy Assistance Program at 315-379-2303. This program is income based and those that qualify can receive a regular heating benefit and up to two emergency benefits.

Presently Massena Electric has no generating facilities and must purchase all of the power distributed to its customers. The power is received through contracts with the New York Power Authority (NYPA). The power from NYPA consists of low-cost hydroelectric power from the Niagara Power Project and purchases power on behalf of Massena Electric through the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO).

Over 90% of the power Massena Electric purchases is “Green Power.” The majority of the “Green Power” is hydroelectric power purchased from NYPA. A portion of the “Green Power” is solar and wind power purchased through the NYISO. This is more than three times the amount of “Green Power” purchased by investor-owned utilities in New York State.