Long Island Senior Overpaid National Grid for a Decade Due to Incorrect Rate Code

Customer Overpayment Discovery

• 💡 A 92-year-old Long Island resident discovered she was overpaying National Grid for a decade.
• 📌 The overpayment occurred because she never informed the utility about converting her home from oil to gas heating.
• 🎯 She identified the issue by noticing her bill had a code (140) indicating a higher gas appliance rate, while her home was using gas for space heating, suggesting she should have been on a different, lower rate (120).

Potential for Widespread Issue

• ⚠️ Lawmakers suggest that many more customers could have made the same costly mistake.
• 💬 The woman's son believes thousands of customers might be paying the wrong rate for gas.

Legislative Action and Utility Response

• 🏛️ State Senator Mario Mattera is pursuing legislation to protect ratepayers in similar situations.
• 🤝 National Grid stated they would reach a fair and equitable resolution in this specific case, despite not being required to refund past overpayments due to incorrect rate codes.
• 🔍 National Grid claims they proactively review accounts annually to ensure customers are on the most appropriate rate, even without customer contact.