Long Islanders are getting slammed in every direction by rising utility costs — with electric bills jumping as much as 20% and water rates increasing for the third straight year for millions of customers.
Local power costs have surged, going $294 million over budget through February alone, mainly driven by record cold weather and the war in the Middle East, according to the Long Island Power Authority and experts.
Those costs have been passed along in the form of massive bill increases of 15% to 20% this year to customers already averaging around $200 a month in 2025.
The Suffolk County Water Authority meanwhile approved a $346 million budget at the end of last month effectively hiking customer rates by 2.81%, to bump the average homeowner’s annual water bill just over $16 and bring the average cost — just for access to clean water — to more than $600 a year starting June 1.
The water authority previously approved hikes as high as 4.17% in 2024 and 2.99% last year.
The water authority — which serves about 1.2 million Suffolk County residents — said the budget boost helps upgrade infrastructure and treatment capabilities without “placing an undue financial burden” on its customers.
Try telling that to some customers.
“It’s all adding up, and considering everything continues to get more expensive, the last thing I need is to pay more for water and electricity,” said Bay Shore homeowner Lilliana Phillips.
“Sure, it’s only $16, but apply that to every house in Suffolk – you’re talking millions [of dollars] extra to the water authority while we struggle to keep up,” Phillips said.
Holtsville resident Sarah Lane said, “We’re being squeezed.
“Water and electricity are bills that you have no choice but to pay — no matter what outrageous number they throw at you. It’s a non-negotiable, you have no choice.”
But the SCWA doubled down and said its rates remain a relative bargain compared to its regional competitors.
The average Liberty New York Water customer in Nassau County pays roughly over $1,870 annually, or more than three times SCWA’s new over $600 average. As for other local water providers, Monroe County Water Authority customers pay over $760 a year, and Water Authority of Great Neck North customers average over $1,250, according to budget documents.
“Our bills remain well below the industry average in New York,” SCWA CEO Jeff Szabo said during a State of the Authority address earlier this month, adding his team developed the budget with “fiscal responsibility” in mind.
But the agency’s customers don’t think they should feel grateful for not being squeezed as hard as their neighbors.
“Things have gotten so expensive that I now rethink everything I am doing, now including how long and when I keep the lights on” Lane said.
“You go to the supermarket and can still see the bottom of your cart and it’s $200, gas is $4 a gallon, and now this — when will we catch a break?”