~900K
Electric customers
~270K
Gas customers
18,000
Sq. miles of territory
1852
Founded (Ithaca, NY)
Quick estimator
What does NYSEG actually cost?
A typical NYSEG residential bill is roughly half supply (the kWh price, shoppable) and half delivery + fixed charges (the wires, not shoppable). Move the slider to see a rough monthly estimate at NYSEG default supply rates.
Supply
$
~8.5¢/kWh default supply
Delivery
$
Wires + fixed customer charge
Estimated total
$
Before taxes and riders
Indicative only. NYSEG actual rates depend on your Service Classification (residential SC-1, heating SC-1H, etc.), rate zone (RG&E and NYSEG have different zones), and the current PSC-approved tariff. Check your NYSEG rates & tariffs for the live numbers.
Contact NYSEG
Headquarters / mailing address
NYSEG
89 East Avenue
Rochester, NY 14649
Utility fact sheet
- Legal name
- New York State Electric & Gas Corporation
- Type
- IOU
- Parent
- Avangrid Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- Iberdrola S.A.
- Ticker (parent)
- NYSE: AGR
- Sibling utility
- RG&E
- Retail choice?
- Yes (supply only)
- Regulator
- PSC + FERC
- Grid operator
- NYISO (mostly Zones C, E, F)
Quick actions
-
1
Start or stop service
Call 1-800-572-1111 at least 3 business days before move-in. Use the moving-in guide or moving-out guide.
-
2
Pay your bill
Auto Pay, online, by phone or by mail. See the NYSEG bill-pay page for every channel.
-
3
Shop your supply
Compare default supply against a competitive ESCO on the PSC's Power to Choose tool, then see our list of NY ESCOs.
The NYSEG geography problem
NYSEG has the widest geographic footprint of any New York utility, but that footprint is mostly rural. That single fact drives the bill more than any other.
18,000
Square miles served
~50
Customers per sq. mile
~35%
Of NY State land area
Insider angle. NYSEG runs roughly 32,800 miles of distribution lines and 4,500 miles of transmission to reach about 900,000 customers spread across 18,000 square miles. That works out to around 50 customers per square mile, against more than 7,000 per square mile for Con Edison in New York City. Every pole, every span of wire, every tree-trim crew has to be paid for by far fewer ratepayers, which is why NYSEG's delivery rate is structurally one of the highest in the state even though its supply costs are among the lowest.
NYSEG's all-in residential price (supply + delivery) typically lands in the low-to-mid 20¢/kWh range, below the New York state average of 28.55¢/kWh (EIA, March 2026). That comparison hides the structural trade-off: NYSEG customers pay less for the kWh itself than Con Ed customers because most of NYSEG's territory sits in cheaper NYISO load zones, but they pay more per kWh for delivery because the wires reach across cornfields and Catskill ridges instead of city blocks.
A practical consequence: shopping for a competitive ESCO can lower your supply line on a NYSEG bill, but it cannot touch the delivery line. If you live deep in NYSEG territory, the biggest single lever on your bill is usually reducing kWh usage (insulation, heat-pump tuning, LED retrofit) rather than supplier switching alone.
NYSEG vs Avangrid vs RG&E: who is who?
A surprising number of customers think NYSEG and RG&E are the same company. They are not. Here is the clean version of the corporate stack.
Top of the stack
Iberdrola S.A.
Spanish multinational electric utility, listed in Madrid. Iberdrola controls Avangrid through a majority stake; it does not deal with NY customers directly.
US holding company
Avangrid Inc.
NYSE: AGR. Avangrid owns NYSEG, RG&E, three New England utilities (CMP, UI, SCG/CNG/BGC) and Avangrid Renewables. It files corporate paperwork; it does not set your rates.
Regulated NY utilities
NYSEG + RG&E
Two separate PSC-regulated companies. NYSEG covers the wider upstate footprint; RG&E covers a tighter 9-county area around Rochester. Each files its own rate case and charges its own tariff.
What this means for your bill
- ·Your tariff depends on which company physically delivers your power. If your meter is read by NYSEG, you pay NYSEG rates; if it is read by RG&E, you pay RG&E rates.
- ·An ESCO listed for "Avangrid territory" usually serves both NYSEG and RG&E customers, but the per-kWh price the ESCO offers can still vary between the two utilities because it includes utility-specific true-up charges.
- ·Outages: call the NYSEG line if you are a NYSEG customer, the RG&E line if you are an RG&E customer. They run from separate dispatch centers.
Spotting the dividing line
- ·Rochester city + Monroe / Wayne / Ontario / Livingston / Genesee / Orleans / Wyoming / Seneca / Yates counties are RG&E.
- ·The rest of upstate covered by Avangrid (Binghamton, Ithaca, Vestal, Plattsburgh, Lake Placid, parts of the Lower Hudson, the Catskills) is NYSEG.
- ·The clearest tell is your meter and your bill: the logo on the top corner is the only source of truth.
The 2024 NYSEG rate case: what changed, what is changing
In October 2023 NYSEG filed a joint electric and gas rate case (PSC Cases 22-E-0317 and 22-G-0318). The PSC approved a multi-year settlement that staged delivery rate increases through 2025 and 2026.
Joint settlement (electric + gas)
PSC Cases 22-E-0317 (electric) and 22-G-0318 (gas)
Year 1 (effective May 1, 2024): the first tranche of delivery rate increases hit residential bills. Per the PSC's approved schedule, NYSEG electric delivery revenue requirements stepped up, with the customer-facing bill impact softened by surcharge smoothing.
Years 2 and 3 (May 2025 and May 2026): further phased increases. The 2026 step continues funding storm-hardening, vegetation management, gas-pipe replacement and the AMI smart-meter rollout that started in NYSEG territory in 2022.
Low-income protections: the settlement expanded enrollment in NYSEG's Energy Affordability Program (EAP), the state's bill-discount tier for HEAP-eligible households. Average benefit is in the $40 to $60/month range.
ESCO oversight: the April 2026 PSC ESCO reforms apply to NYSEG and RG&E territory like the rest of the state. Mass-market customers can no longer be enrolled in supply contracts that exceed the utility's default supply price unless 30% of the energy is renewable.
5 things every NYSEG customer should know
Your bill is split in two
NYSEG always handles delivery (the wires, meter and customer charge). Supply (the kWh price) is either NYSEG default or your chosen ESCO. Switching ESCO never changes who fixes an outage.
Service Classification drives your rate
A standard residential home is SC-1, a heating-electric home is SC-1H, a small business is SC-2. Each class has its own tariff and customer charge. See the service classification page.
EAP / HEAP can knock $40+ off your monthly bill
If you qualify for HEAP, you also qualify for NYSEG's Energy Affordability Program automatic discount. Enrollment is once; the credit runs as long as you stay eligible.
Budget Billing smooths winter spikes
NYSEG averages your 12-month energy use into equal monthly payments. Useful in the Southern Tier and North Country where heating-season bills can be 3× the summer bill. Settled up once a year.
ESCO scams are common in NYSEG territory
Door-to-door sellers may claim to be from NYSEG; NYSEG employees do not solicit supply contracts. See our NYSEG scams page for spotting fake account-number requests and impersonation tactics.
Need more?
Read your bill line by line
Our understanding-your-bill walkthrough decodes every charge on a NYSEG statement, from the Merchant Function Charge to the Renewable Portfolio Standard surcharge.
Explore the NYSEG hub
Every NYSEG topic broken down to a single page. Use these to take action without calling.
Pay your NYSEG bill
All payment channels: Auto Pay, online, phone, mail, in person.
Contact NYSEG
Every phone line, mailing address and emergency number.
Customer service
Hours, what to have ready before you call, complaint escalation.
Electric supply prices
Default supply rate history by zone and what to benchmark ESCOs against.
Moving in
Start NYSEG service at a new address in 3 to 5 business days.
Moving out
Close your account, set a final-meter date, get your deposit back.
Rates & tariffs
Delivery rate cards, customer charges, riders by Service Classification.
NYSEG scams
Door-to-door, phone and "your power will be cut off in 30 minutes" scripts to ignore.
Service classification
SC-1, SC-1H, SC-2: pick the right class to avoid overpaying.
Understanding your bill
Every charge, line by line: supply, delivery, customer charge, riders.
5 expensive NYSEG mistakes
Things we see customers do in NYSEG territory that quietly cost them $50 to $400 a year.
Signing the first ESCO offer that knocks on the door
Door-to-door sellers are the leading source of bad ESCO contracts in NYSEG territory. The legitimate ones quote a fixed rate above NYSEG's default supply. Always check the current PSC Price to Compare before signing anything.
Staying on a "fixed" ESCO contract after the teaser ends
Many ESCO contracts in NYSEG territory roll to a variable month-to-month rate after the introductory period. That variable rate is almost always above NYSEG default supply. Set a calendar reminder the day you sign.
Being on SC-1 when SC-1H would lower your kWh rate
If you heat with electric resistance, an electric heat pump or electric thermal storage, you may qualify for SC-1H, which has a lower delivery rate for high-volume electric users. Call NYSEG to verify your classification.
Not applying for HEAP when income-eligible
A regular HEAP benefit can run $40 to $900 per heating season and unlocks NYSEG's EAP bill discount automatically. The 2025 to 2026 program window typically opens in mid-November. Apply at otda.ny.gov/programs/heap.
Calling customer service for an outage
The customer-service line (1-800-572-1111) closes evenings and weekends. Outages have a separate 24/7 line at 1-800-572-1131. Save it now; phone service can drop at the same time as power in rural NYSEG zones.
Frequently asked questions about NYSEG
No. They are sibling utilities with the same parent (Avangrid, ultimately Iberdrola) but they are separate regulated companies with their own tariffs, rate cases and dispatch centers. RG&E covers a tight 9-county area around Rochester; NYSEG covers everything else in the Avangrid NY footprint. Your bill tells you which one delivers your power.
Because NYSEG has the widest, least-dense service territory in New York: roughly 50 customers per square mile vs more than 7,000 for Con Edison. The fixed cost of poles, wires, transformers and tree-trim crews has to be recovered from far fewer customers, so the per-kWh delivery rate is structurally one of the highest in the state. The supply side is usually cheaper than downstate to compensate, but the delivery side is the lever NYSEG cannot easily move.
Yes. New York has had retail electric choice since 1998. NYSEG always delivers the power and sends the bill, but you can pick any PSC-licensed ESCO for the supply portion. After the April 2026 PSC reforms, mass-market customers can only be enrolled in ESCO contracts priced at or below the utility default unless 30% of the energy is renewable.
NYSEG's 24/7 electric emergency line at 1-800-572-1131. If a wire is on the ground or anyone is hurt, call 911 first, then NYSEG. Stay at least 30 feet from a downed wire even if it looks inert.
Leave the building first. Do not flip switches, light matches or use a phone inside. Once outside, call the 24/7 gas emergency line at 1-800-572-1121 or 911. NYSEG dispatches gas-leak technicians from regional service centers; rural calls can take longer than city calls, so leave the area until they arrive.
Yes. NYSEG averages your last 12 months of energy use into equal monthly payments, then settles the difference once a year. It is particularly useful in the Southern Tier and North Country, where winter heating bills can be three times the summer bill. Sign up via My Account on nyseg.com.
Three layers stack: HEAP (Home Energy Assistance Program) for federal LIHEAP block-grant benefits, EAP (Energy Affordability Program) for a NYSEG bill discount that auto-applies if you qualify for HEAP, and NYSEG's deferred-payment agreement if you fall behind. Apply at otda.ny.gov/programs/heap and call NYSEG to confirm EAP enrollment.
89 East Avenue, Rochester, NY 14649. Avangrid's US corporate headquarters are in Orange, Connecticut. Iberdrola is headquartered in Bilbao, Spain.
Related reading
New York state
Electricity & natural gas in New York
Sibling utility
RG&E (Rochester Gas & Electric)
All NY utilities
List of NY utility companies
Supply
Energy suppliers (ESCOs) in New York
Background
NY market liberalization (1998)
Bill anatomy
NY state surcharges & riders
Moving
Moving in: NY electricity & gas
Moving
Moving out: closing NY accounts
Compare
Con Edison (NYC)
More U.S. states with energy choice
Same playbook, different utility. Pick another deregulated state to compare utilities, suppliers and switching rules.
