In most of northern Bergen County, the electric bill comes from PSE&G or Rockland Electric, and the state Board of Public Utilities sets the rates. In Park Ridge, the borough sets them. The Borough Council adopts a new rate ordinance each December, and the borough's own Electric Department sends the bill. At typical usage, a Park Ridge household pays well below what its neighbors pay. That gap belongs to the borough, though, and it depends on two things: wholesale power prices the borough can't control, and a backup-generation project it hasn't been able to build yet.
The First Utility Call After Closing Goes to Borough Hall
Moving into Park Ridge changes one routine part of a home purchase. The Borough's Electric Department has its own Electric Service Agreement and Tenant Disconnect Application, and its residential rate covers customers on the Borough's distribution lines. If you're buying in that service territory, set up electric service with the Borough, not PSE&G.
The rules in Chapter 55A of the borough code hold a few details buyers don't expect:
- Deposits depend on ownership. Owners of record don't pay a deposit. Other customers may have to deposit an amount based on two and a half months of estimated bills. For an investor renting out a home, it matters whose name goes on the account.
- Bills come every two months. The tariff lists monthly rates, but residential electricity is billed bimonthly. So a seller's utility records show one bill for each two-month period, and any monthly comparison has to be halved.
- The department's web page lists old rates. The Electric Department page still shows a power adjustment of $0.00650 per kWh, effective May 1, 2022. The current rates are in the code and in Ordinance 2025-021.
What the Ordinance Charges, Next to the Neighbors
For bills issued on or after January 1, 2026, Park Ridge charges residential customers a $7.40 monthly customer charge, 17.381 cents per kWh for energy, and a power adjustment of 0.740 cents per kWh. At 650 kWh a month, the usage the BPU uses for its typical bill, those charges add up to about $125.19. New Jersey's Division of Taxation says sales tax on retail electricity is built into the price, not listed separately.
Next door, the BPU's February 2026 auction announcement projected these typical 650 kWh bills starting June 1, 2026, before any credits:
| Provider | Nearby towns it serves | Typical 650 kWh monthly bill, 2026 | Gap vs. Park Ridge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Borough of Park Ridge | Park Ridge | about $125.19, calculated from the 2026 ordinance | — |
| Rockland Electric | Montvale, Upper Saddle River | $168.93 from June 1, 2026 | about $44 |
| PSE&G | Hillsdale, River Vale, Westwood, Woodcliff Lake | $180.23 from June 1, 2026 | about $55 |
Service territories come from PSE&G's town list and Orange & Rockland's service-area list. The Rockland figure probably understates the current bill. A BPU order dated June 30, 2026, on the Rockland Electric base rate case put a typical 925 kWh customer's increase at $14.03 a month, or 5.7%.
The borough's own numbers line up. When the council adopted the 2026 rates on December 9, 2025, the Borough CFO said Park Ridge "remains 32% cheaper than PSE&G," according to the meeting minutes. Over a year, a $44 to $55 monthly gap comes to roughly $525 to $660 for a household at typical usage. For a buyer choosing between Park Ridge and Montvale or Woodcliff Lake, that's a real line in the monthly budget.
A Lower Rate Still Rises When Wholesale Power Does
Being a municipal utility doesn't shield Park Ridge from the power market. It just changes who passes the cost along. The borough buys wholesale power and sets its rate by ordinance. When wholesale costs went up, the ordinances followed for two years in a row.
In December 2024, the council approved higher 2025 electric and water rates in a 3–2 vote, Pascack Press reported. Councilor Michael Mintz, the liaison to the Board of Public Works, told the paper the average residence would pay $7 more a month. "Where do you think the money's coming from? It's got to come from the ratepayers. We got to pay for electricity," he said. A year later, Ordinance 2025-021 cited "increases in the cost of power." All six council members voted for it, and the CFO estimated the increase at about $112 a year.
The same pressure hit the investor-owned utilities harder. On June 1, 2025, the BPU projected that a typical PSE&G bill would rise $26.87 to $182.71 and a Rockland Electric bill $25.48 to $165.64. The agency said the increases largely reflected PJM capacity prices. Those prices kept rising. According to PJM's July 2025 auction results, capacity cleared at $329.17 per megawatt-day for 2026/2027, up from $269.92 for 2025/2026.
So Park Ridge's rates went up with everyone else's, but stayed well below them. What decides whether that gap holds is how much of the wholesale bill the borough can avoid.
The Diesel Plant Waiting on a Land Swap
Capacity charges hinge on demand at the peak. PJM explains that a utility's capacity charge is based on its peak load contribution, its share of the grid's previous-summer peak, multiplied by the zonal capacity price. A utility that produces some of its own power during those few peak hours draws less from the grid when it counts most.
That's the idea behind Park Ridge's peak-shaving project, which has moved through these steps:
- February 25, 2025. At a council work session, Councilor Mintz described a temporary air permit for "a 6 mw Tier-4 Diesel Peak Plant" at the Mill Road substation, which "would allow us to offset some of the cost we incur from PSEG." He put the net benefit at $350,000 to $849,000 and said the details were still being formalized, according to the minutes.
- The same meeting. The council authorized Integrated CHP Systems Corp. of Princeton to handle permitting for up to $35,000, and Jinks Engineering to work on diesel-generator integration for up to $15,000.
- December 9, 2025. When the 2026 rates were adopted, the CFO described the "peak-shaving plant project underway to reduce future costs."
- January 27, 2026. The land at Mill Road is protected by NJDEP Green Acres, so the equipment area needs a land swap. The borough's engineer submitted the swap paperwork that day and looked at part of 160 Colony Avenue as a possible parcel for the exchange.
- September 22, 2026. The engineer's report to the council said the borough was "awaiting further direction as to next steps" from Green Acres.
The Mill Road substation also has separate work planned. A $965,000 electric-utility bond ordinance adopted July 14, 2026, includes $305,000 to engineer replacement of its transformers. The 2026 capital program lists $2.3 million for that transformer replacement over 2026 and 2027. That's upkeep of the grid, not the peak plant, and the borough's ratepayers fund it.
How to Count the Electric Gap When Comparing Towns
The 2025 and 2026 rates were adopted on December 10, 2024, and December 9, 2025. December is when the borough sets the next year's electric rate. The council's proposed 2027 RFQ list includes an "Electric Department Rate Engineer," and the Board of Public Works has a meeting scheduled for November 18.
For a buyer weighing Park Ridge against a PSE&G or Rockland Electric town, here's how we'd treat the electric line:
- Count the current gap at your own usage, and compare one period at a time, since Park Ridge bills every two months.
- Treat the gap as something renewed each December. It has held through two increases in a row, and wholesale power costs drive it.
- Watch the Mill Road peak-shaving plant as the borough's own lever on future costs. Its timing depends on the Green Acres swap.
- Ask the seller for recent Borough electric bills alongside the property tax bill. For a sense of how the tax side can shift too, see our look at River Vale's 2027 revaluation.
This post is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Confirm deposits, service terms, and rates for your own situation with the Borough Electric Department and the right professional.
FAQ
Does every Park Ridge home get electricity from the borough? The Borough's residential rate covers customers on its distribution lines. Confirm the provider for a specific address with the Electric Department before closing.
Where can I find the current rates? In Chapter 55A on ecode360 and in Ordinance 2025-021. The department's web page still lists 2022 figures.
Will I owe a deposit to start service? Under the tariff, owners of record are exempt. Other customers may be asked for a deposit equal to about two and a half months of estimated bills.
If you're comparing Park Ridge with its neighbors and want the full monthly cost of a specific house, including taxes, electric, and the rest, Jacqueline Vasquez can put those numbers side by side before you write an offer. Already own in Park Ridge and thinking about selling? Start with a home valuation, and we'll show buyers what the Borough's electric rates save them.