More than 21,000 people have signed an online petition protesting higher electricity prices in Connecticut caused by a sudden increase last month in the public benefit portion of bills from Eversource Energy and United Illuminating, who said they were passing along state-mandated charges.

The petition, posted on change.org late last month by Monroe resident Scott Pearson, calls on Gov. Ned Lamont and Marissa Paslick Gillett, director of the state’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, to remove the public benefit charge from electric bills statewide.

According to information supplied by Eversource, the average electricity bill statewide saw a net increase of $48 on the public benefit side as of July 1. This was partially offset, according to the utility, by lower costs on the power-supply side of the bill, resulting in average increases for residential customers of $8 a month overall.

Petition leader Pearson, however, points to some electric bills that have led to people living in the dark and fearing to turn on their air conditioning units. Other people, he said, are contemplating a move out of Connecticut because of high electricity costs, while others are weighing whether to pay their energy bills or have enough to eat.

“I will have to say that citizens of Connecticut have been squeeze(d) to the point of outrage with hyper inflation and CT high taxes,” Pearson wrote in response to emailed questions. “I think we are at the breaking point. People just had enough. Thus, the reason why this petition has so much momentum.”

In the latest 24-hour period as of Thursday afternoon, more than 4,600 had signed the petition, which Pearson called “a grassroots moment.” The petition gained 10,000 signatures in less than a week, thanks partially to an article written by the conservative thinktank Yankee Institute.

According to Eversource, which has vigorously opposed the higher public benefit fees and says it earns nothing from them, this portion of the bill increased dramatically partly due to the back-ending of costs associated with a plan to bail out the Millstone nuclear power plants approved by the legislature in 2017. The plan was approved by a large majority of Republicans, while it was opposed by most Democrats.

Other areas supported by public benefit funding through electric bills include payment assistance for people who can’t afford their bills, energy-efficiency programs and clean-energy programs. In addition, the petition pointed out that since the COVID-19 pandemic the state has prohibited utility shutoff notices to non-paying customers, costing ratepayers an estimated $160 million.

“We work hard to pay our own bills. Charging us a mystery amount to pay someone else’s bills is atrocious,” Gina Gouveia of Trumbull wrote on the petition site.

“The state has over $4 billion in surplus tax money. Use that,” wrote Chris Norrell of Derby. “I can't afford a $450 summer electric bill. Literally two times what I usually pay, which is still crazy expensive. Renegotiate our energy costs. This is unsustainable.”

The extra public benefit charge will end in April 2025. But it may become an even bigger issue on Jan. 1, when expected increases in the power-supply portion of the bill will go into effect, sending electric bills higher once again.

Pearson, who wouldn’t reveal his political affiliation (online records show him as a registered Republican), said he has tried to keep the petition nonpartisan, though he added, “The hundreds of comments on the petition are very, very angry at the people who are at the helm, the Democratic party.”

Pearson said he is aiming for 100,000 signatures. And, although it’s unclear what the petition could accomplish directly, he said “If no change does happen to repeal this public benefit charge and find another way to fund the green energy bank and reimbursement of non paying utility customers, then I will make it a priority that everyone remembers this in 2026 (an election year).”

The vote to increase public benefit charges occurred in April on a 2-1 vote by PURA. Gillett was the lone dissenting vote, saying the increase should have been spread out over a longer period. Vice Chairman John "Jack" W. Betkoski III, who recently announced he is retiring at the end of the year, and Michael Caron voted in favor of the increase.

Pearson’s petition site shows a $952 electric bill for what he calls a “normal size” home in Monroe that includes a public benefit charge of about $200.

“We need to have our utility bill dropped to a sustainable level,” he said on the site. “Make no mistake — we are ripping mad and demand this increase be repealed.”

Pearson said the petition would be sent to PURA, Lamont, Attorney General William Tong, the state Office of Consumer Counsel and all Connecticut legislators.

l.howard@theday.com