SOUTHERN TIER, N.Y. (WENY) -- Over the past couple of weeks, people have been expressing frustration with NYSEG billing.  Now, five legislators in the Southern Tier are calling for the State Legislature to conduct an independent investigation into the issues customers have been having with the utility company.

"I think we just need better answers from NYSEG. If that requires this kind of investigation, I think that that's fine. I think transparency is always good. The more information people have to an extent, the better," said Mike Sigler, a member of the Tompkins County Legislature. 

Rodney Strange, a member of the Chemung County Legislature, Mike Sigler, Lee Shurtleff, and Randy Brown, from the Tompkins County Legislature, and Broome County Legislator Erin Micha are calling for answers from NYSEG.  Over the past few months, community members have voiced their concerns over billing, specifically why their bills have skyrocketed when their usage remained the same.

"Right now, they're sending you a bill, and they say well, 40% of your electricity goes to heat," commented Sigler.  "And I've got people saying, 'I don't heat my house with electric. I have natural gas.' What's my answer to that person? I don't have a good one, and NYSEG doesn't really have a good one. That's what they kind of have to fix is, is the explanations aren't kind of meeting up with what people understand to be the truth."

“I have heard from many constituents about poor response from NYSEG when lines have fallen down, and about confusing bills over the last three years. I had the opportunity to meet with local NYSEG representatives regarding response times in January and they were very responsive. They also met with the Tompkins County Emergency Response (911) to improve communication. If NYSEG lines have fallen, people should call 911.  Regarding NYSEG bills, I think it is time to do a forensic audit of their purchases of electricity and the sale to consumers. People are being hit hard by the large increase in cost, and I believe we should verify NYSEG's cost," said Randy Brown, Tompkins County Legislator in a statement.

NYSEG says they're regulated through the Public Service Commission.  This means they cannot increase delivery rates without approval of the commission, and say they haven't raised rates since May 2024.

"We have seen reports of calls for NYSEG to be investigated, and we want our customers to know that we work hand in hand with regulators at the state level for every portion of our bills," said Shelby Cohen, the Director of Communications for NYSEG and RG&E.  "So, NYSEG is your energy delivery company and it's the delivery portion of your bill that we have control over. There's also a supply portion of your bill that comes from the actual energy that you use in your home, and energy supply is not regulated, so that can fluctuate."

Supply prices contributed to high bills this winter, Cohen added.

"So there are factors that people don't realize that can contribute. When you combine higher usage with supply costs that are really, really much higher than we've seen in the past, due to demand. Those supply prices are unregulated. You're going to see those higher bills," said Cohen.

Cohen said NYSEG has talked to some local leaders, but says social media posts calling for investigations can make a confusing situation more confusing.

"We've been talking to our elected officials too, to educate them on the difference between supply price and delivery price, and how usage can affect both of those prices," said Cohen.  "What's unfortunate to us is to see those elected officials decide to ignore those facts and take to social media to make a confusing situation, you know, even more confusing for our customers with seditious posts that really misinform rather than educate."

There is no word yet if an investigation will happen or not.  Cohen said anyone with questions or concerns about their NYSEG should call their customer service line at 800-572-1111, or go in person to a community connection event.