ConEd wants a rate hike to pay for upgrading the electric grid and hardening their systems against future weather events...? This is the kind of work they should do on regular basis, instead of waiting for their poorly maintained ( they don't upgrade or do preventive maintenance - they just wait until it breaks down and then repair...) systems to collapse, then ask for another rate increase; we already pay the highest rates in the state, and ConEd is awash with profits and cash, little of which goes to upgrades and maintenance. We have a third world electric system that is expected to fail with weather events such as wind, snow, ice... Visitors from Europe laugh at our tangles of overhead wires and frequent power outages, circa 1950's. Rate hike? Really? Bring us at least to the twentieth century, then we can talk again. View Comment