“We have no choice but to continue working and work only for Con Edison, just for that we have to work to pay Con Edison,” said Dominga Sandre, owner of La Piñata restaurant.
Dominga, the owner of this small business on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven, owes nearly $4,000 for electricity.
Dominga.
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A debt that was accumulated during the peak of the pandemic and that continues to grow as Con Edison increased the cost of electricity by 20 percent in recent months.
IT MAY INTEREST YOU:
Your electricity bill has increased by about $300. To which is added inflation in general.
“Everything is very expensive and people do not want to pay. Everything is expensive, expensive chicken, expensive beef, everything is expensive, everything is very expensive,” added Dominga.
The plight of Dominga and many New Yorkers who have struggled to pay their electric bill caught the attention of Jumanee Williams, the ombudsman.
The official asks the state government to use part of its funds from the federal pandemic rescue plan to help families pay their electricity debts.
It also asks ConEdison to implement an emergency plan to eliminate the debt of 1.2 million New Yorkers and 143,000 businesses that owe more than 2 months of their services and have to pay more than 1,300 dollars.
“We know they have enough money to pay off these debts,” Williams said.
“The Public Advocate joins activists and elected officials in calling for utility and government debt relief as Con Edison’s bills mount,” Williams’ office wrote in a social media post.
“New York State must guard against these spikes, and we must all look to #PublicPower,” the message continues.
LIVE: The Public Advocate joins activists and elected officials to call for utility debt relief and for public power as Con Edison bills spike. New York State must protect against these increases, and we all must look ahead to #PublicPower.
WATCH: https://t.co/c3m3eNZnTD
— Office of the Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams (@nycpa) February 23, 2022
As New Yorkers suffered during the peak of the pandemic, Con Edison’s profits rose, Williams added.
Meanwhile, businessmen like Dominga and Modesto Ferrzola, the owner of this furniture store, who is also three months behind in his electricity payments, try to do everything possible to use little energy.
“I no longer turn on the lamps, I no longer turn on the TV stands, I don’t turn on the televisions either, I don’t turn on the back lights,” said Modesto Ferrzola.
But some residents say that even if they don’t use much electricity, their bills have doubled or even tripled.
“The one in January was like 36 but now February 78 and I found it and said what would happen if I tried to keep it. You know, we receive a monthly check and from that we have to pay the bills,” said Lidia González.
“I don’t spend a lot of electricity and what I pay is 35 to 40 pesos and the ‘bill’ came to me for more than 100 pesos so I saw a difference with three times what I pay,” said Margic Rosaly, another Woodhaven resident. .
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