Rockland's homegrown utility is in the second year of a three-year rate plan — and this is the year the second increase lands. The New York State Public Service Commission approved a Joint Proposal setting new Orange & Rockland electric and gas delivery rates in March 2025, per the PSC's approval of the plan, with rates taking effect April 1 of that year and annual step increases built into the schedule.
Under the approved plan, electric delivery usage charges rise about 4.6 percent in the first year and about 3.3 percent in the second year — the step now in effect for 2026 — with gas delivery increases on a similar trajectory. These figures cover delivery charges only, the portion of the bill that pays for poles, wires, pipelines and the utility's own operations; the supply portion, the actual electricity and gas consumed, is priced separately in the market and moves on its own.
The rate case was negotiated rather than fought to a hearing: a Joint Proposal is an agreement between the utility, state utility advocates and other parties that the Commission then votes to approve. The full record of the proceeding, including the gas case docket, is public through the Department of Public Service's document system, so customers can read the order themselves rather than relying on summaries.
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What this means for Rockland County: O&R is this county's electric and gas provider, so every step-up in the plan shows up directly in local household budgets. The delivery increase compounds with separately rising supply costs, which is why some customers saw total bill changes larger than the delivery percentages alone would suggest. The practical moves for households — budget billing to smooth seasonal spikes, energy-efficiency programs the rate plan funds, and comparing supply offers against the utility's default rate — are worth revisiting now that the second-year delivery charges are on bills.
The rate plan runs through its third year before the next full rate case. Customers who want to weigh in on future O&R rates can follow the Commission's procedural calendar at dps.ny.gov, where new proceedings are noticed with public comment sessions, including sessions held in the affected service territory.