Utility and energy bill costs
Affordability of energy bills was a major 2026 budget theme. The Assembly pushed to freeze energy bills; the enacted budget included ratepayer aid such as funding for the Public Utility Law Project, EmPower Plus for low- and moderate-income efficiency upgrades, and Weatherization Assistance, while Senate leaders also flagged movement they saw as rolling back clean-energy transition progress.
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Sources
NY Focus — https://nysfocus.com/2026/03/12/new-york-state-budget-negotiations-2026
The Assembly wants to freeze your energy bills, the Senate wants to stop police from working with ICE, and the governor wants to slash auto insurance premiums.
Senator Liz Krueger / NY State Senate — https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026/state-senate-passes-2026-27-budget
Direct Assistance for Ratepayers: $2.75 million for the Public Utility Law Project (PULP)... $150 million for EmPower Plus, helping low- and moderate-income households lower their energy bills... $40 million for the Weatherization Assistance Program... Unfortunately, this budget also contains significant movement in the wrong direction on critical issues, most notably rolling back progress on the clean energy transition
Positions on this issue · liberal → conservative
- Freeze or heavily subsidize utility bills and accelerate clean-energy mandates regardless of cost
- Expand ratepayer aid, weatherization, and efficiency programs while protecting clean-energy goals
- Balance targeted bill assistance with gradual clean-energy investments and market rates
- Limit new subsidies and slow clean-energy rules that raise household energy costs
- End most ratepayer subsidy programs and roll back clean-energy mandates to lower bills