The ConEd situation in Manhattan
Every Manhattan address is served by Con Edison. There is no split utility here. If you live in the Upper West Side, Hell's Kitchen, Tribeca, the East Village, or Harlem, your electricity is delivered by ConEd.
But "delivered by" and "supplied by" are two different things. ConEd maintains the poles, wires, and infrastructure. They will always do that. What you can change is who you buy the actual electricity from. In New York's deregulated market, that's a separate transaction. Licensed retail suppliers compete for your supply business. ConEd keeps the wires.
Manhattan has the highest electricity costs in the city. High-density buildings, older infrastructure, and elevated demand all push rates up. ConEd's standard supply rate in early 2026 runs around $0.14 per kWh. That's the number you can act on.
What suppliers are offering right now
Licensed retail suppliers currently serving Manhattan zip codes are offering fixed supply rates between $0.089 and $0.11 per kWh. For a typical Manhattan apartment spending $150/month on electricity, switching to a supplier at $0.09/kWh saves roughly $250-400 per year.
Fixed-rate plans lock in your supply rate for 6-24 months. Your bill still fluctuates with seasonal demand, but the per-kWh supply charge stays flat. That's the main advantage over staying on ConEd's variable default rate.
Can renters switch?
Yes, if the electric bill is in your name. That's the only requirement. If you pay the electric bill directly to ConEd, you can choose a different supplier. Your landlord has no say over your supplier choice.
If electricity is included in your rent, you can't switch directly. You could ask your landlord to switch the building account, but that's their decision to make.
In neighborhoods like Hell's Kitchen and the East Village, where a high share of renters pay their own electric bills, this option applies to a lot of people who haven't heard of it. In Tribeca and parts of the Upper West Side, condo owners and co-op owners paying their own bills have the same option with no landlord to ask.
Switching as a Manhattan renter: how it works
- Find your ConEd account number on your most recent bill
- Enter your Manhattan zip code in our calculator to see available suppliers and current rates
- Pick a supplier and sign up online, usually in under 10 minutes
- ConEd sends a confirmation notice; you have a few days to cancel if you change your mind
- Your new supply rate kicks in on the next billing cycle
Nothing else changes. ConEd still delivers your electricity. You call them for outages. You still get a ConEd bill. The only difference is the supply line item reflects your new supplier's rate.
Harlem and upper Manhattan
Harlem, Washington Heights, and Inwood are fully in ConEd territory. The same options apply. The switching process is identical. If anything, because average electricity consumption tends to be higher in these neighborhoods due to older building stock, the savings potential per household is often above the Manhattan average.
Green energy options in Manhattan
Several suppliers serving Manhattan offer 100% renewable electricity plans. Current green rates are close to conventional rates and sometimes match them. If you want to switch to clean energy and save money at the same time, run both options through the calculator.