ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — In a response to “current market conditions,” New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) are suspending late payment charges from December 1 through April 15, 2023.

The companies say this will help “alleviate hardships with winter supply pricing increases.”

Additionally, the energy company says that if a customer has unpaid balances through May 1, and enrolls by December 31, they can receive a credit.

This comes as News 8 has been reporting on billing issues and price increases at Rochester General Electric for months, and the price of gas and oil remains high.

“We hear our customers and their concerns about billing,” and we do apologize to those who have had billing issues with us in the past,” said Patricia Nilsen, president and CEO of NYSEG and RG&E said in September.

RG&E says it does not control the generation of power, but rather buys it and then supplies it. They say the price of that increase in fuel — coupled with supply chain issues — has hit consumer’s wallets.

They add that these fees are “passthrough costs.”

“Our electricity and natural gas delivery rates are expected to remain steady through the winter, but supply prices are expected to climb,” Nilsen said in a statement. “To alleviate the financial hardship this will cause during the winter heating season, we have elected to waive late payment charges on customer bills for this period.”