CL&P to Credit 192,000 Customers $27 Million for Power Outages [Poll]

Connecticut Light and Power, the state's largest electrical company, announced Wednesday plans to credit approximately 192,000 customers affected by prolonged power outages from the freak October snowstorm a total of $27 million. 

The credit will breakdown to $140.22 that the 192,000 customers will see on their February electrical bills, under the “October snowstorm credit." CL&P said that approximately 225,000 customers were eligible to receive the credit, since they experienced power outages that lasted from the snowstorm on Saturday, Oct. 29, to at least noon of the next Saturday, Nov. 5. 

“Our goal was to reach every eligible customer and we made a concerted 10-week effort to meet that commitment,” Jim Muntz, president and chief operating officer of CL&P, said in a statement. “Many heard from us multiple times through letters and phone calls – it was our way of demonstrating that their opportunity to apply was a priority for us, too.” 

Northeast Utilities, the parent company of CL&P, announced the establishment of a $30 million storm relief fund in November 2011, and three grants totaling a $1 million apiece were made to Connecticut Food Bank, Foodshare and Operation Fuel were made in December of 2011.   

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy called the fund a "good first step in compensating our residents for the long-term outages that occurred as a result of the October Nor’easter" in a statement released Wednesday afternoon. Malloy noted that his administration was planning to soon introduce a bill that would hold utility companies more accountable for prolonged power outages such as the ones that resulted from the October Nor’easter, which saw more than 800,000 CL&P customers lose power, some for more than a week. 

“In the coming days, we’re going to introduce a bill that will raise the standards and benchmarks that (State of Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority) will implement for utility companies, regulations that will provide a clear incentive for proper preparation and timely repairs," Malloy said in a statement. “And later this year, our Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection will conduct the largest state-wide emergency preparedness drill in recent history, so that we know what to do when a real time situation comes our way."