How Central Hudson’s New Billing System Will Effect You in 2024

Central Hudson Gas & Electric has faced a lot of backlash in recent years about its billing practices and managerial practices. Customers have been vocal about their service. One main complaint amongst customers has been Central Hudson's practice of sending out bimonthly estimated bills to individual customers. In December of 2022, a scathing report from an investigation from the PSC strongly criticized Central Hudson's billing a managerial practices further.

Central Hudson to Get Rid of Bimonthly Estimated Bills, Implement New Meter Reading Practices

Central Hudson is phasing in a new effort to check your meter.  It's a pilot program aimed at reading the meters of 10,000 customers a month. The utility company has been conducting bi-monthly readings for its more than 300-thousand electric customers.  The pilot project is an effort to move away from estimated billing. 

Central Hudson spokesperson Joseph Jenkins said,

"Central Hudson is currently in the early stages of implementing its plan to read meters every month. To make sure the transition away from estimated billing is seamless for our customers, we are implementing the process in phases. Customers whose meters are now being read monthly received notification from Central Hudson about their participation."

Under an agreement reached with The New York State Department of Public Service, Central Hudson agreed to "pay for an independent monitor to verify system and operational improvements, to correct billing system errors and to accelerate its plans to perform meter reading for its customers."

Get our free mobile app

As part of the agreement, Central Hudson planned to be able to read a majority of its customer's meters monthly by December 2024, an acceleration of more than 13 months compared to the utility's previous goal to reach this milestone by February 2025.

Central Hudson Taking Steps to Win Back the Trust of the Hudson Valley

Central Hudson has stated that they are actively working to address any remaining issues and restore their commitment to providing excellent customer service and to regain the Hudson Valley's trust. Their first and foremost priority has been ensuring that any customers who were over-billed have been fully reimbursed. Their new CEO, Chris Cappone, is working hard to facilitate positive change and a new direction. They are actively hiring and training new customer service staff and establishing a brand-new billing department. Central Hudson has invested tens of millions of dollars to try to rectify past issues and improve services for the future. They hope that their new meter reading methods will enhance billing accuracy and reliability.