The war in Iran has shown us — because our leaders seem to have forgotten — the consequences of an energy system dominated by oil and gas. As energy consumers in Connecticut, we are captives as prices spike.

It doesn’t have to be like this.

When I was campaigning for state representative in the summer of 2024, electricity bills were soaring. As I knocked on doors, the only voters who didn’t complain about their bills were those with solar panels.

Now I’m running again to be the state representative for the 108th District, which includes Sherman, New Fairfield, and parts of New Milford and Danbury. As a candidate, one of my top goals is lowering energy bills.

One way to do that is to make it easier and cheaper to install solar panels on homes and businesses. Connecticut’s solar permitting process can add thousands of dollars to a typical installation due to red tape, according to the Environment America Research & Policy Center.

Let’s get rid of permitting barriers and put the sun to work for us. I support one bill which is a step in that direction, HB 5340, An Act Concerning Renewable Power Generation, currently being discussed in Hartford. It would legalize “plug-in” or “balcony” solar panels to enable easy-to-install, small-scale solar for renters and homeowners without requiring complex permits or rooftop installation. I also support the Governor’s proposal (HB. 5036) to streamline residential solar permitting.

The utilities compensate solar owners when they put energy onto the grid. Some Republicans claim these incentives distort the market, but fail to mention that the oil and gas industry has never competed without subsidies. Just last year, Congress added $40 billion in subsidies for oil and gas on top of federal subsidies that go back to 1913 – far exceeding any support for solar power.

Connecticut Republicans minimize the benefits of solar and unfairly
made the part of our electric bill called the “public benefits charge” a scapegoat for rising costs. This charge includes a number of programs designed to help customers go solar and improve the reliability of the electric grid.

For example, a portion of the public benefits charge funds programs like EnergizeCT, which helps households and businesses become more efficient through energy audits and repairs, like sealing leaky windows. Even Eversource says EnergizeCT is “the most cost-effective policy tool to reduce energy bills, promote economic development, protect the environment, and provide energy security.” The program delivers three dollars in benefits to ratepayers for every dollar invested.

Another portion includes the Connecticut Green Bank, which offers low-interest loans to any home, business, or house of worship seeking to add solar or make energy improvements. The Green Bank is leading the way with energy storage, and boasts a sixfold return on investment.

This is a track record to be celebrated.

Part of the public benefits charge also helps provide energy assistance for struggling families across Connecticut, including hundreds in the 108th district, who can’t afford to heat their homes or keep the lights on. One in five households in our state skip necessities like food and medicine to pay their energy bills. If elected, there is no way I would put these families in more jeopardy.

Lastly, a portion of the charge is mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and can’t be eliminated. It aims to reduce grid congestion, and includes contract obligations for the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant.

To be clear, solar cannot alone fix what’s broken about our energy system. We need to rein in Eversource, a publicly traded company that made record profits last year, and make it more accountable to its consumers rather than its shareholders. But eliminating the public benefits change does nothing to rein in Eversource and will leave us all more at risk of higher electric bills.

Anne Weisberg lives in Sherman and is a candidate for State Representative for the 108th District.