Report Introduction

Chairman’s Letter

Con Edison energizes the lives of more than 10 million people across the metropolitan New York area.

We have long been recognized by leaders in business, government, and the energy industry for providing customers with safe and reliable energy. Yet we are also in the forefront of change. Changes in technology, policy, and customer expectations are creating extraordinary opportunities for us. We are finding new ways to excel at what we do—eliminate accidents and injuries, protect the environment, improve the performance of our energy systems, and enhance our customer experience.

Given the public’s growing desire for renewable and distributed energy resources beyond the traditional forms of electric, gas, and steam, we are preparing for a future that includes newer resources—including solar, wind, combined heat and power, fuel cells, and battery storage. New York City’s largest rooftop solar installation, in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, is one of our projects.

We have invested $2.5 billion in large-scale solar and wind projects in 16 states through our Clean Energy Business subsidiary, and we are North America’s fifth-largest solar producer. At the same time, we are increasing customer options for energy savings and expanding our vigorous energy efficiency programs.

Since 2005, we have reduced our carbon footprint by 48 percent, which is equivalent to taking 500,000 cars off the road. We have converted more than 6,500 large buildings from oil to cleaner natural gas—that is in part why New York City has its cleanest air in 50 years.

Facing new challenges posed by climate change, we have invested $1 billion to make our energy systems more resilient. These upgrades have prevented more than 225,000 customer outages since 2013. We will also be installing more than 5 million smart meters over the next five years to reduce energy usage, improve electric system performance, and give our customers improved visibility and control of their energy use.

Our customers and communities matter. Last year, we made more than $12 million in charitable contributions to local non-profits. Our employees also donated 12,000 hours of their own time volunteering in our communities.

Con Edison finished 2016 with the lowest injury rate in our company’s history. Orange & Rockland Utilities had its second-lowest injury rate ever. While those facts are impressive, we won’t claim success until we meet our goal of a zero-harm environment for our employees and the people we serve.

We finished 2016 strong, and we’re poised to build on that momentum. Read, watch, and listen to our Sustainability Report to learn more about what we’re doing to better serve our customers and protect the environment. Because more than 10 million people are depending on us for reliable power and a sustainable future.

— John McAvoy, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, Consolidated Edison, Inc.