Con Edison Refunds Queens Tenant for Neighbor's Power
Con Edison has issued a Queens tenant over $6,000 after billing her for an upstairs neighbor's electricity for years.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Utilities
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Nicole Niceforo's Con Edison bill had been switched with the bill of the apartment directly above hers, and the utility has issued her more than six thousand dollars in refund checks covering the past six years. Con Edison acknowledged its mistake in a letter, but a state statute of limitations bars Niceforo from recovering losses from more than six years ago.
Why it matters
The case shows how a billing error can run unnoticed for years and leave tenants paying for usage that is not theirs. For Queens residents, it highlights the limits of recourse when a utility's mistake predates the legal window for recovery.
Con Edison has issued over $6,000 in refund checks covering six years of the roughly decade-long overbilling. The remaining nearly four years of overcharges fall outside the state statute of limitations, and it is unclear whether any other recovery route exists.
The players
Con Edison
Con Edison is the New York utility company that supplies electricity to New York City, including Queens, and is among the largest utilities in the United States.
Kelly Kennedy
Kelly Kennedy is a reporter who covered Niceforo's billing dispute in a video report.
The details
Niceforo said her bill had been switched with the bill of the apartment directly above hers, and she repeatedly called Con Edison over an extended period to dispute the charges. More than a decade ago she asked the utility to dispatch a technician to inspect her meter, but Con Edison instead advised her to take the issue up with building management.
Timeline
More than a decade ago: Niceforo asked Con Edison to inspect her meter.
Oct. 29, 2026: Reporter Kelly Kennedy published a video report on Niceforo's case.
Past six years: The period covered by Con Edison's refund checks.
Industry Context
New York's six-year statute of limitations caps how far back a customer can recover losses even after a utility admits a billing error. Niceforo's case shows that gap in practice, with nearly four years of overcharges falling outside the recoverable window.
Tenants who share a building with separate meters should check their utility bills against their own usage for errors. Customers who spot a long-running billing mistake should act quickly, because state time limits can bar recovery of older overcharges.
The takeaway
A billing error can persist for years without being caught, so reviewing utility statements regularly and raising discrepancies early matters. Waiting too long can cost customers money they cannot later recover.
Further reading
For more on how billing and service issues play out across the sector, see Utilities.
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