CITIZEN POWER ALLIANCE

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The new year will bring sad tidings to many large businesses across Upstate New York. They face electric bill increases of roughly 12 percent to 20 percent, thanks to a combination of higher delivery charges from National Grid and higher electricity prices on the wholesale market.

State regulators this month approved a delivery-rate adjustment for National Grid that shifts how much the utility charges different categories of customers — without altering how much Grid collects overall. The new rates take effect Jan. 1.

The bad news for industrial customers is good news for residential customers. A typical household will pay 6 percent less in delivery charges to National Grid in 2010, while some large industrial customers will pay 24 percent more in delivery charges.

Delivery charges are the state-regulated rates that National Grid charges for using its poles, wires and work force to deliver power. They do not include electricity supply charges, which are unregulated and rise or fall based on supply and demand.

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