Niceforo first raised concerns with her utility provider, Con Edison, in 2016, when she asked for her electricity meter to be inspected. Instead, the company directed her to building management.
More than nine years and numerous complaints later, an inspection finally revealed that her electricity bill had been switched with her upstairs neighbor’s.
Niceforo said she was “outraged” by the discovery, but also relieved to finally have an explanation for her unusually high bills.
Con Edison acknowledged the error in writing and refunded her more than $6,000. But the refund covered only six of the roughly 10 years she had been overcharged, leaving nearly four years of possible overcharges unpaid.
Niceforo took her case to the New York State Department of Public Service, hoping to recover the rest. But the regulator sided with Con Edison, which argued it wasn’t obligated to revisit bills more than six years old.
The regulator also said it had no record of a formal complaint from Niceforo in 2016, even though emails obtained by FOX 5 NY reportedly showed she had questioned her bills that year.
What to do when your electric bill doesn’t add up
Niceforo’s case may be very unusual, but it shows why consumers shouldn’t ignore high electricity bills, especially when cutting back on power doesn’t seem to help.
New York has several laws designed to protect utility customers from billing errors and other disputes. Among them is the Home Energy Fair Practices Act (HEFPA), which sets rules for billing, payments, customer complaints and service shutoffs.
Similar consumer protections exist elsewhere in the country. All 50 states have utility regulatory agencies, though their authority varies by state and utility type, according to the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, which represents state utility regulators.
Customers who believe they’re being overcharged should contact their utility provider to dispute the bill or request a review. If the issue remains unresolved, they can contact their state utility regulator. The Citizens Utility Board, a consumer advocacy group, also has a complaint form where customers can report billing issues and other grievances.
