NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — National Grid will shell out $6 million to help low- and middle-income Long Island residents upgrade their heat pumps to settle allegations that the utility company “knowingly misreported” electrical usage data, the New York Attorney General’s office said Monday.
An investigation launched by New York Attorney General Letitia James found that National Grid “knowingly provided false reports to the Long Island Power Authority on the amount of electricity that was being delivered, but not billed for, at homes and businesses across Long Island” between April 2008 and August 2012, her office said in a press release.
To resolve the claim, National Grid will pay $6 million that will be used to “subsidize heat pump modernization and replacement for low- and moderate-income Long Islanders,” the release said.
“When powerful companies skirt the law at the expense of the state, we will not hesitate to step in and hold them accountable,” James said in a statement. “For more than four years, National Grid undercounted and falsely reported electrical usage of more than 1,000 homes and businesses, costing the Long Island Power Authority and the state millions.”
“We’re holding National Grid responsible for their shocking behavior and delivering $6 million to help low- and moderate-income Long Islanders modernize and replace their heat pumps,” she added.
“These upgrades will not only help lower the energy costs for 350 families across Nassau and Suffolk Counties — especially important as so many continue to suffer the detrimental financial impacts of Hurricane Ida — but will provide Long Island homes with the necessary improvements to utilize cleaner energy options.
In a statement provided to 1010 WINS, a National Grid spokesperson said the company "cooperated fully with the New York Attorney General’s office in its investigation of activities that took place nearly ten years ago."
"National Grid is committed to the highest ethical standards for our company and our employees, and we are pleased that a resolution has been reached that will allow all parties to move forward," the spokesperson added.
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