Eversource has asked Connecticut regulators to approve a roughly $727 million annual increase that would raise the average residential electric bill by about 18%, and Attorney General William Tong has sharply opposed it. Tong called the filing "another tone-deaf insult to Connecticut families," according to the Connecticut Attorney General's July 2026 statement. Eversource is the utility that delivers electricity to most of Connecticut, and this is its first formal base-rate hike request in nine years. The 18% figure is a proposal, not an approved rate — regulators will spend roughly a year reviewing it before anything changes on your bill.
Table of Contents
- What Eversource actually asked for
- Why the Attorney General is fighting it
- How Eversource defends the request
- What this means for your bill and your options
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Eversource actually asked for
Eversource filed its request with Connecticut's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), the state agency that reviews and approves electric rates. The company seeks about $727 million more per year, which it says would raise a typical residential bill by roughly 18%, per the Attorney General's statement. Not all of that 18% is ordinary rate growth.
Strip out storm-recovery costs from 2018 through 2025, and the underlying request drops to about $451 million, or roughly an 11% residential increase, WFSB reported on July 15, 2026. The storm costs push the headline number from 11% to 18%. That gap explains the shifting figures you may have seen. In May 2026, the increase was reported at about 11%, according to the CT Mirror; the 18% headline reflects storm costs folded into the formal July filing.
Why the Attorney General is fighting it
The attorney General's office represents ratepayers as an intervenor before PURA, meaning it formally argues the customer's side during the rate case. Tong's opposition is not just rhetoric — it comes with a track record. Tong says his office has previously blocked about $700 million in eversource and United Illuminating rate requests, the CT Public reported on July 28, 2026.
Regulators have also pushed back before: they approved about $933 million in storm costs but rejected more than $300 million in interest charges Eversource wanted to pass to customers, WFSB reported. That history matters for your expectations. An opening ask this large rarely survives review intact.
How Eversource defends the request
At a July 28, 2026 hearing, Eversource defended the filing as necessary to pay for infrastructure upgrades and storm recovery, according to CT Public. The company frames the storm costs as money already spent restoring power after major weather events.
Utilities typically open a rate case with their highest defensible number, expecting regulators to trim it. Both the Attorney General's office and reporting on the case note the 18% is an opening ask that is likely to be reduced.
What this means for your bill and your options
Nothing on your bill changes yet. PURA adjudication will take roughly a year, and the final approved increase — if any — could land well below 18%, closer to the ~11% underlying figure or lower.
Here is how to stay informed and involved: One practical caution for readers of a legal or damages site: a rejected or reduced rate request is a regulatory outcome, not a payout or settlement. There is no claim to file and no compensation to collect — the benefit to customers is a lower approved rate, decided by PURA.
- Read the source directly: the CT AG statement on the Eversource rate hike filing lays out the objection.
- Watch for PURA public comment periods, where residential and business customers can weigh in on the record.
- Separate the two numbers: the ~11% base request versus the 18% total that includes storm costs, so you can judge news updates accurately.
- Track the case over the coming year; the opening ask and the final rate are rarely the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the 18% increase already in effect?
No. It is a proposal before PURA, and review will take roughly a year before any rate changes.
Why do some reports say 11% and others 18%?
The ~11% is the base request of about $451 million; adding 2018–2025 storm-recovery costs raises the total to about 18%.
Can customers get money back from this?
No. This is a rate case, not a lawsuit or settlement — there is no claim to file or compensation to collect.