Letter From BEGWS To Their Customers, Feb 12, 2026
Valued Customers,
Bath Electric, Gas and Water Systems (BEGWS) is the utility department of the Village of Bath. We at BEGWS have the privilege and responsibility of providing our customers with safe and reliable utility services of the highest quality and at the lowest cost, practically and responsibly.
We understand the winter temperatures and conditions experienced at the end of January and beginning of February were extreme. For those who experienced an interruption in the utility services we provide (i.e., electric, natural gas, water and/or sanitary sewer), we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. We greatly appreciate your patience and understanding.
With that said, as a result of the extremely cold temperatures, our electric and natural gas customers required more electricity and natural gas to heat their homes or businesses. We call this "demand."
We call the availability of electricity and natural gas"supply." Unfortunately, decisions have been made by New York State over the last several years that have impacted the supply of electricity and natural gas. Decisions have also been made that have impacted the ability to deliver electricity and natural gas statewide. We call this "transmission."
We deliver the electricity and natural gas supply we receive locally to our customers. We call this "distribution." Our costs to distribute the electricity and natural gas is included in the flat customer service charge and energy (or usage) charge. These charges are shown on your utility bill as ELECTRIC RES-IN, ELEC COMMERCIAL-OUT, GAS RES HEAT-OUT or GAS COM NON HEAT-IN, or a slight variation depending on your service classification, location, and heating source. Please know we have not increased these charges and rates since May 2018 when they were approved by the NYS Public Service Commission.
Supply and transmission costs are included in the Purchased Power Adjustment Charge and Gas Adjustment Charge. These are shown on your utility bill as ELEC PPAC and GAS ADJ, respectively. For our customers, the more electricity and natural gas used, the higher the ELEC PPAC and GAS ADJ will be.
Additionally, New York State implemented the Clean Energy Standard in 2016. As a result, each month, our electric customers pay a surcharge for Renewable Energy Certificates and Zero Emissions Credits, shown on your utility bill as ELE REC & ZEC SCHG. This is calculated using the NYS-set rate and your electric usage.
Please know the ELEC PPAC, GAS ADJ, and ELE REC & ZEC SCHG charges included on your utility bill are pass-through collections. BEGWS does not benefit financially from these charges.
The high demand, limited supply, and constrained transmission are the reasons the utility bills you are and will be receiving over the next few months are likely to be higher than you have ever seen as a BEGWS customer.
Please know we are here to support and assist you during this difficult time. If you are unable to pay your utility bill in full these coming months, recognize your budget isn't keeping up, or have exhausted all of your HEAP and other financial support and assistance available to you, please communicate with us. We cannot help if there is no communication. No payment and no communication will lead to a disconnection of your utility services. Please know this is not something we want to do, but are required to do to ensure we can continue to serve and support all our customers.
We encourage you to reach out to our Commercial Office should you have any questions and/or require additional information. Please email us at Commercial0ffice@begws.com (preferred) or call 607-776-2173, Option 2. We also encourage you to check out our Facebook page (Bath Electric, Gas and Water Systems - BEGWS) where we have tips on how to save on your utility bill.
We appreciate you as our utility customer. We are confident we will navigate this difficult and challenging time together.
Respectfully,
Erin B. Bonacci
Director of Municipal Utilities
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand: Statement About The EPA Repealing The Obama Era Standards About Emissions
From Senator Gillibrand: Today, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) issued the following statement after the Trump administration repealed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) endangerment finding related to emissions. The endangerment finding is the scientific determination that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare. Finalized in 2009, it serves as the legal foundation that allows the EPA to regulate climate pollution under the Clean Air Act from major sources including cars, power plants, and industrial facilities. The repeal strips the EPA of a critical tool to limit emissions that directly harm public health.
“This administration is once again putting big polluters' profits over working families' health, worker safety, and our children’s future. This reckless decision will raise costs for everyone and comes at a time when this administration is actively blocking opportunities for good-paying jobs and affordable energy right here in New York. I will fight every day to put people before powerful special interests, lower utility bills for working families, and ensure every American has the chance to breathe clean air and build a better life.”
BEGWS Statemment About The Cold Wx And Heating Bills
From Bath Electric Gas and Water Spokesperson Erin Bonacci: "Bath Electric, Gas and Water Systems will be communicating directly with its customers regarding the extremely cold temperatures and anticipated impacts on its customers’ utility bills. BEGWS encourages its customers to reach out should customers have any questions and/or require additional information."
Bath Man Charged After Alleged Road Rage Incident
.jpg)
.jpg)
