Vernon — More than 10,000 people throughout the state have signed two petitions — one started by the town of Vernon and the other by the AARP — opposing Eversource's proposed 19-percent rate hike, but the utility company argues the increase is the result of deferred costs and state-mandated regulations.

Along with their signatures, Connecticut residents are writing messages about how the increase would adversely affect them, some going so far as to say they may have to live in the dark rather than paying to turn on lights.

Residents who have signed the petition include those from Vernon, Southington, Waterbury, Southbury, Prospect, West Hartford, Ellington, Newtown, and Avon, among others.

Under the proposal, Eversource residential customers would pay an extra $38 a month, or 5.4 cents more per kilowatt hour, for the average household bill. The proposed rate hike equates to 19 percent of customers' per-kilowatt-hour charges and would begin in May.

The higher rates, if approved, would amount to an extra $784 million over the course of the next fiscal year for Eversource, with the increase largely due — company officials say — to policy changes adopted by the state legislature and the governor over the last few years.

Connecticut consumers are already paying among the highest electricity costs in the country.

Vernon Mayor Dan Champagne said the outpouring of opposition makes it clear that state residents are opposed to the rate hikes, and hopes that the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority takes note.

"These messages are heart-breaking and drive home the difficult situation so many Connecticut residents are in," he said. "Here in Vernon we are doing our best to stand up for our residents and people across Connecticut. I hope the regulators at PURA stand up for all of us."

Town Administrator Michael Purcaro said the issue should not be political, calling electricity "a basic human need."

"For some people, having electricity is a matter of life or death," he said.

Jamie Ratliff, spokeswoman for Eversource, said that the vast majority of the proposed increase is in the public benefits portion of ratepayers' bills, are the result of state-mandated programs, and do not generate a profit for the utility company.

She added that Eversource officials offered to sit down with Vernon leaders to explain their position, but Vernon officials declined.

To further delay the public benefits increases, Ratliff said, would only further burden ratepayers with more exorbitant costs in the future.

"We agree that this rate increase is shocking and stems from PURA policies leading to one of the largest rate increases ever reflected in the public benefits portion of the bill, showing how pushed off costs of state policies are being passed on to customers, which we do not earn a profit on," she said. "Customers should be frustrated by a regulatory agency which delayed collection of these pass-through charges, leading to this rate shock. We will continue to offer solutions to policymakers and regulators to meet two essential goals — bill stability and reliable service."

"Regardless of Eversource's reasoning, a simple fact remains: Eversource has a voracious appetite for ratepayers' dollars and the result is record profits and out of control executive pay," Purcaro said. "It takes a lot of people on Social Security and small pensions to generate the kind of revenue that allows Eversource to give its executives millions of dollars in compensation. How much is enough? How much can ratepayers bear?"

He added that he takes PURA officials at their word that comments from every signer of the petition will be read by regulators.

"Our petition is open to everyone," Purcaro said. "The more signatures we have, the better. We need to make it clear to PURA that Eversource's request is not affordable to working people."

Ratliff noted that executives' salaries would not be impacted by the increase in rates.

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