Energy Musings - January 30, 2026
A new survey of women in New England sheds light on high utility bills and potential explanations. The women are not happy and level criticism at the politicians who misled them.
New England Women Are Upset Over High Utility Bills
New England and New York are among the centers of public outrage over green energy and high utility bills. A new poll of New England women who are expected to vote in the upcoming election confirms how little they know about green energy policies and their impact on local electricity bills. Still, they are upset about the cost of power. Importantly, the women feel misled by local politicians about the cost of the green energy transition.
The New England Women’s Energy Survey was conducted for Independent Women by WICK Insights during the period December 4–15, 2025. The survey questioned a sample of 3,000 women who are likely 2026 general election voters across the six New England states.
Winter Storm Fern caused the Independent System Operator New England (ISO-NE) grid to rely on oil-fueled power for 30% to 33% of its power. That is because a significant volume of natural gas that usually would be burned to generate electricity is diverted to home heating in the region.
We were surprised to read that, in New York during the bitter cold of the recent Polar Vortex episode and the start of Fern, the state’s grid was exporting electricity to Ontario, Canada, rather than importing it. Since the Canadian province relies on renewable energy for much of its power, the intermittent nature of that power, especially during winter weather, forced it to seek power from New York. The state’s nuclear and natural-gas-powered generators created the electricity that was sent across the border. It also appears that ISO-NE was shipping power to Canada.
At different times during Fern, we looked at the ISO-NE power mix dashboard. Not only did we find high shares of power generated by oil (used in coal- and natural-gas generators capable of burning dual fuels), natural gas, and nuclear, but renewable fuels accounted for only 7% to 10%. Among renewable sources, the primary supplier was wind, followed by wood and refuse. Solar power contributed only a minimal amount, which was not surprising, as little sunlight is available during winter storms. What is disappointing is the low output of solar, given the billions of dollars in solar investment in recent years.
As we recently wrote, Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee (D) delivered his budget for fiscal 2026, which starts on July 1. In his budget, there were various adjustment proposals to clean energy plans and mandates imposed on Rhode Island utilities that have contributed to the state’s high electricity prices. Interestingly, some of the changes will impact issues that the survey showed women in the state have little knowledge of.
The survey of 3,000 women spread across the six New England states found that 91% were concerned about high energy bills. Nearly six out of ten are “very concerned.”
There is heightened concern about high utility bills.
One reason these women are concerned is that they know that their families pay more for electricity today than they did five years ago. In New England, the average retail electricity price for November 2025 (latest data available) was $0.2886 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), compared to the national average of $0.1778. Between the average price for 2021 and November 2025, the national residential power price rose by 30.2% while New England’s price increased by 34.2%.
New Englanders are paying more for their electricity.
Among the triumvirate of qualities people want from their electricity – reliability, affordability, and cleanliness – the women are apprehensive about the first. The survey reported that 79% of women are concerned about energy reliability.
Fear of blackouts is high.
The survey revealed several significant issues with green energy policies. Two crucial policies adopted by New England states are the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and membership in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). The RPS requires a certain share of electricity to come from renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, or hydropower. RGGI is a cap-and-trade program that taxes the use of fossil fuels by utilities, incentivizing them to increase their use of renewable energy. Both programs are key to the states’ green energy strategies, but the survey found that 56% of respondents were not aware of RGGI, and a third were not aware of RPS. This supports our view that a significant problem with state energy policies and their cost for consumers is that people do not know or understand how utilities work, and rates (costs) are established.
This lack of knowledge about green energy strategies contributes to the respondents’ views of who is to blame for high utility bills. Of the New England women surveyed, 53% said they were misled about the cost of the renewable energy transition. To some degree, this view explains Governor McKee’s effort to cut utility costs ahead of the upcoming election as he moves to avoid a potential political backlash.
The women are upset with their political leaders about energy.
Women wrestle to understand why their utility bills are so high, and who is to blame. Interestingly, they fire shots at a broad range of potential suspects. It is not surprising that utilities are the prime suspect. Why not. They send you the bills and take your money. However, state green energy policies dictate their operations, and their rates are regulated by state overseers and align with state policies.
There are many targets to blame for high utility bills.
The survey also showed that women believe data centers will raise their bills (64%). Additionally, 38% said they think government green energy subsidies have increased prices, while 39% said they don’t know whether that’s true.
Although the women surveyed acknowledge they do not know or understand the impacts of RPS and RGGI policies on their bills, they are conflicted about current green energy policy initiatives. Over half (54%) of respondents support the 100% energy transition goal, but 68% oppose phasing out internal combustion engine vehicles, and 52% are against outlawing gas-powered appliances. These conflicts are unsurprising, given other surveys showing that people support the green energy transition but won’t contribute more than $1 a month to the effort.
Independent Women proposed a series of steps that political leaders in the six New England states could take to help reduce high utility bills. The proposals included: Repeal costly energy policies that are driving up electricity costs in the region; Approve new natural gas pipelines; Diversify New England’s electric grid with more reliable energy sources; and Allow nuclear power to flourish alongside renewables. We aren’t holding our breath for these policies to be embraced.
According to Jordanne Kemper, director of advocacy at Independent Women, “Energy policy shouldn’t be a political statement. But, in New England, it’s been treated like one.” She went on to state that “the result is simple and brutal: higher bills, unrealistic and unattainable mandates, and wavering reliability from policies state leaders passed. Women deserve to know what’s really driving their rising energy costs and who made the choices affecting them.” Amen.