Contact Eversource CT
Residential customer service
1-800-286-2000Toll-free, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hartford local line: 860-947-2000.
Outage / emergency (24/7)
1-800-286-2000Same number, automated outage menu 24/7. Text OUT to 23129 after registering your account, or use the Eversource outage map.
Pay by phone
1-800-286-2000Automated bank-draft or card payment 24/7 through the main line. A processing fee applies to card payments via Speedpay.
Utility fact sheet
- Legal name
- The Connecticut Light and Power Company (CL&P)
- Brand
- Eversource
- Parent
- Eversource Energy (NYSE: ES)
- CT electric customers
- ~1.3 million
- CT cities & towns served
- 149 (about 80% of the state)
- Retail choice?
- Yes (CT-wide since 2000)
- Default supply
- Standard Service (resets Jan 1 / Jul 1)
- Regulator
- CT PURA + FERC
- RTO
- ISO-NE
- Headquarters
- 56 Prospect Street, Hartford, CT 06103
What you can do here
-
1
Start, stop or transfer service
Call 1-800-286-2000 at least 2 business days before move-in. Have your new address, move-in date and a photo ID ready.
-
2
Stay on Standard Service or shop carefully
CT has retail choice. Compare licensed suppliers on the official PURA marketplace at energizect.com; in 2024 to 2026 most third-party offers ended up costing more than SS.
-
3
Check the next SS reset
Eversource's residential SS rate resets every January 1 and July 1. Always compare offers against the current SS figure printed on your bill.
What Eversource CT does (and does not) do
Connecticut split electric supply from delivery in 2000. CL&P (Eversource) keeps the wires, meters and grid; the energy itself can come from Eversource's Standard Service auction or from a competitive supplier you chose.
Delivery (always Eversource)
Poles, wires, substations, transformers, smart meters and the line crews that restore power. Eversource is the only company you call for any wire, voltage or meter issue.
Default supply (Standard Service)
If you do not shop, Eversource procures power for you via PURA-approved wholesale auctions and bills the clearing price as Standard Service. The SS rate resets twice a year, on January 1 and July 1.
Outage response
Whether you shop or not, Eversource is the only company you call for outages, downed lines, voltage problems or meter issues. The 24/7 emergency line is 1-800-286-2000.
About Connecticut Light & Power
The Connecticut Light and Power Company was incorporated in 1917 (its earliest predecessor, the Rocky River Power Company, dates to 1905). CL&P is the legal entity that holds the Connecticut electric distribution franchise; it has been a subsidiary of Eversource Energy (NYSE: ES) since the 2015 rebranding of Northeast Utilities. Eversource also owns Yankee Gas (the largest CT gas distributor), NSTAR Electric and NSTAR Gas in Massachusetts, Public Service Company of New Hampshire, and several water utilities.
In Connecticut, CL&P serves about 1.3 million electric customers across 149 cities and towns, roughly 80% of the state. The remaining ~20%, centred on greater New Haven and Bridgeport, is served by The United Illuminating Company (UI), a subsidiary of Avangrid.
CL&P is a wires-only EDC since the 2000 restructuring; it does not own generation. Power for Standard Service customers is procured through twice-yearly PURA-approved competitive solicitations and delivered through the ISO-NE wholesale market. The corporate headquarters is at 56 Prospect Street in Hartford, with major operations in Berlin, CT.
Anatomy of an Eversource CT bill
A residential Eversource bill is split into supply (shoppable) and delivery (non-shoppable). Connecticut's delivery side is unusually large because of state-mandated programs bundled into the Combined Public Benefits Charge.
| Line item | What it pays for | Shoppable? |
|---|---|---|
| Generation (Standard Service or shopped) | The kilowatt-hours themselves, at the SS auction price or your supplier rate | Yes, supplier |
| Transmission | High-voltage grid charges set by FERC and ISO-NE | No |
| Distribution | Local poles, wires and substations operated by Eversource | No |
| Combined Public Benefits Charge | State-mandated costs: Millstone PPA, renewable contracts, conservation, low-income programs and COVID-era arrears recovery | No |
| Customer charge | Fixed monthly fee for meter reading, billing and account servicing | No |
Reading tip
Only the generation line is competitive. The Combined Public Benefits Charge made headlines in August 2024 when CT bills spiked: PURA had ordered Eversource to recover roughly $800 million in deferred Millstone PPA and pandemic-hardship costs over ten months. The supply line was unchanged; the delivery side jumped. Switching suppliers cannot lower the public benefits charge.
Eversource CT service area
CL&P covers 149 cities and towns across Connecticut, about 80% of the state. The greater New Haven and Bridgeport area is the only major footprint that belongs to United Illuminating (UI), an Avangrid subsidiary.
Northern & central CT
Hartford, West Hartford, Manchester, East Hartford, New Britain, Bristol, Meriden, Waterbury, Torrington, Enfield, Windsor, Glastonbury, Farmington, Simsbury and most of Litchfield and Tolland counties.
Eastern, shoreline & Fairfield County
Stamford, Greenwich, Norwalk, Danbury, Ridgefield, Westport, Fairfield (CL&P portion), New London, Norwich, Groton, Mystic, Stonington, Old Saybrook and most of the eastern shoreline outside the UI footprint.
Eversource's Standard Service rate
Standard Service (SS) is the per-kWh price Eversource charges for default generation if you have not picked a competitive supplier. It is the benchmark every shopping offer on energizect.com is compared against.
Residential SS (Rate 1)
Generation portion only
Check the current figure on your bill or at eversource.com
Reset cadence
Jan 1 / Jul 1
Twice a year, per PURA-approved auctions
CT all-in average
~30.5 ¢/kWh
EIA Form 826, residential, early 2026
Why CT rates are so high
Connecticut residential bills are among the highest in the lower 48 states for four structural reasons: (1) very limited in-state generation; (2) heavy dependence on natural gas through the constrained Algonquin pipeline, which spikes in winter; (3) state-mandated above-market PPAs (Millstone nuclear, offshore wind, renewables) recovered through the public benefits charge; (4) the smallest electric customer base in New England spreading fixed grid costs over fewer kilowatt-hours. Per EIA, CT also has the lowest average per-customer usage in the lower 48, so a typical home uses about 700 to 750 kWh per month; that tempers the bill total even when the rate looks alarming.
Source: Eversource tariff filings; CT Public Utilities Regulatory Authority; EIA Electric Power Monthly, March 2026.
Eversource CT contact directory
Use these direct lines instead of the main menu when you know what you need.
| Reason for the call | Number | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Residential customer service | 1-800-286-2000 | Mon to Fri 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Hartford local line | 860-947-2000 | Same hours as toll-free |
| Outage / emergency | 1-800-286-2000 | 24/7 automated, agents during business hours |
| Text outage reporting | Text OUT to 23129 | 24/7, requires one-time registration |
| Payment arrangements / hardship | 1-800-286-2828 | Mon to Fri 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
| Hearing impaired (CT Relay) | 711 | 24/7 |
| Builders & new service connections | 1-800-286-2000 | Mon to Fri 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. |
| Mailing address (payments) | Eversource, P.O. Box 650047, Dallas, TX 75265-0047 | |
| Corporate headquarters | 56 Prospect Street, Hartford, CT 06103 | |
If you cannot pay your bill
Eversource participates in CT's universal-service programs. Apply before shut-off. PURA's hardship moratorium runs November 1 to May 1 for qualifying residential customers who self-certify hardship.
New Start program
Eversource's income-qualified arrearage forgiveness plan. Pay your current bill on time for 12 months and one-twelfth of your past-due balance is forgiven each month.
CEAP / LIHEAP
Federal heating grant administered in CT as the Connecticut Energy Assistance Program. Opens November 1, closes May 31; apply through your local Community Action Agency.
Operation Fuel
Connecticut nonprofit emergency energy assistance, funded in part by Eversource customer donations. Up to several hundred dollars once per heating season for households above LIHEAP income limits.
Can I switch suppliers in Eversource territory?
Yes. Connecticut deregulated retail electric supply in 2000. All residential customers can buy electricity from a licensed third-party supplier instead of taking the utility's Standard Service. Eversource still owns the wires and bills you; only the generation line on your bill changes.
The official PURA marketplace is energizect.com. Every offer shown there must disclose the per-kWh price, term, renewal terms and cancellation fee, alongside a clear comparison to the current SS rate.
Shopper alert (2024 to 2026)
The CT third-party supplier market collapsed in scandal in 2023 to 2024 after PURA found that the vast majority of variable-rate customers had paid more than Standard Service for years. PURA responded with two major reforms:
- a near-total ban / strict cap on residential variable-rate offers;
- mandatory disclosures showing the offer price next to the current SS rate, and tighter rules on early-termination fees.
Many suppliers exited the residential market. Always compare any offer against the SS rate printed on your latest bill; if it is higher, do not sign. If you already have a third-party contract, check your bill side-by-side with the SS line before renewal.
A switch typically takes 1 to 2 billing cycles, and Eversource charges no fee to switch or switch back. Suppliers may charge an early-termination fee on fixed-term contracts; under PURA's 2024 rules that fee must be capped and clearly disclosed on the first page of the contract.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns Connecticut Light & Power?
Is CL&P the same company as Eversource?
Can I shop for a cheaper electricity supplier in Eversource territory?
What is Eversource's Standard Service rate right now?
Why are Connecticut electricity rates so high?
Who do I call for a downed power line or outage?
Does Eversource deliver natural gas in Connecticut?
Is help available if I cannot pay my bill?
More U.S. states with energy choice
Same playbook, different utility. Pick another deregulated state to compare utilities, suppliers and switching rules.
