New York, NY – The Utility Customers Association today hailed this week’s report from Center for an Urban Future on reducing city bureaucracy, highlighting its clear recommendations to cut bureaucratic barriers to battery storage, a move that would save money for utility customers. The Utility Customers Association called on Mayor Mamdani to act rapidly on the CUF recommendations, which could allow homeowners and communities to install more batteries and could reduce the burden of skyrocketing utility costs for everybody.

“Batteries lower bills, but utility customers in New York City are hardly benefitting from the technology because installing batteries has become virtually impossible in the five boroughs,” said Patrick Robbins, Campaign Director for the Utility Customers Association. “This new report lays out a straightforward road map for Mayor Mamdani to follow to facilitate battery development, with immediate cost savings to the city and even bigger cost savings for millions of New Yorkers whose Con Ed bills are going through the roof.”

The Center for an Urban Future report proposed a set of steps that could allow widespread battery proliferation in NYC, including:

• Consolidating overlapping FDNY and DOB permitting processes into a single unified pathway

• Allowing licensed engineers, master electricians or certified inspectors to approve home batteries, which would alleviate the inspection backlog that delays or cancels projects

• Expanding FDNY and DOB staffing to handle the growth in applications for battery permits

The report also calls on state government to intervene to stop Con Edison’s functional moratorium on battery storage, which the Utility Customers Association has also opposed, alongside allies like Senator Kevin Parker, Assembly Member Claire Valdez and actor, musician and utility consumer advocate Ice-T.

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