National Grid is looking to freeze its gas delivery rates on Long Island, a proposal that would hold those rates steady for customers rather than raising them again. For households that have watched the cost of almost everything climb, the idea of a freeze has been welcomed by some, even as others question whether it goes far enough. The plan still needs the approval of state regulators before it can take effect.
Under the proposal, National Grid is awaiting state approval for the delivery rate freeze. If it is approved by the State Public Service Commission, the delivery rates would remain in place from April 2027 through March 2028, locking in the charge that customers pay to have gas delivered to their homes for that period rather than seeing it rise.
For some customers, a freeze is a welcome relief. Jim, a retired Long Islander who spoke with News 12 in Farmingdale, said he would take it, pointing out that everything else is going up. With the cost of living pressing on household budgets, even holding a bill steady can feel like a gain for people on fixed incomes.
The context behind the request matters. The freeze comes two years after a state approved rate hike that increased customers bills by about 60 dollars. That earlier increase is still fresh for many ratepayers, which is part of why the latest move has drawn a mixed response rather than simple gratitude.
That history has fed a pointed question from some customers. They are asking why National Grid is not lowering rates, the way a natural gas company in New Jersey has been doing, rather than simply holding them where they are. For these ratepayers, a freeze still leaves prices that they consider too high, and one customer said plainly that the prices are still too high.
News 12 took that question directly to National Grid to seek an answer. The company would not comment on why it is not asking for lower rates. It did issue a statement from its president, framing the freeze as an effort to keep prices stable for customers rather than to increase them, even as it declined to explain the comparison with the New Jersey company.
For now, the outcome rests with the State Public Service Commission, which must decide whether to approve the freeze. Customers who spoke with News 12 said they are hoping it goes through, seeing a hold on rates as better than another increase. Whether regulators agree, and whether the debate over lowering rates gains traction, will become clearer as the request moves through the approval process.