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National News See other National News Articles Title: 20% of Americans couldn’t pay their energy bill in the last year. In the last year, about 20% of Americans struggled to pay their energy bill in full at least once, according to a study by Help Advisor. At the same time, 18% kept their house at a temperature that was either unhealthy or unsafe. Even more people went without necessities to make sure they could afford their utilities. More than 28% skipped a basic expense such as food or medicine to pay an energy bill in the last 12 months, according to the study. More from Invest in You: ’Tis the season for holiday bills. Here’s how to pay them off Figuring out these three budget numbers will help you pay off debt in 2022 5 ways to protect yourself against credit card fraud this holiday season “It’s absolutely startling,” said Christian Worstell, a senior writer at Help Advisor, adding that the most vulnerable households tend to be those with children under 18, people of color and folks who have the lowest incomes. “It does appear the problem has been accelerating slightly, but this is nothing new,” he said. Increasing costs Nearly half of U.S. households that heat with natural gas are projected to spend 30% more than they did last winter on average, according to the Winter Fuels Outlook 2021 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The 41% that heat with electricity are expected to spend 6% more. The smaller number that heat with propane or heating oil — 5% and 4% of households, respectively — could see even bigger leaps in cost. Propane users will spend 54% more this winter, while heating oil users could see bills go up 43%, according to the report. Inflation is the culprit. Energy prices are up 33.3% on the year, according to the November consumer price index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fuel oil is nearly 60% more expensive than last year, electricity is up 6.5%, and natural gas rose by more than 25%. Poster Comment: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/oct/13/us-utility-bills-shutoffs-debt-covid-coronavirus Utility debt increased from around $12bn before the pandemic to an estimated $32bn by the end of 2020, according to the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA). The UK, Europe and China have been racked by soaring energy prices. So far most of the US has been spared the worst of it but economists are predicting that here too an energy crisis is looming, and as winter approaches prices are rising, potentially threatening the utilities of millions more. “I’m disabled and have had to live without hot water, a stove to cook on, and now heat. It’s been so hard,” said Magda. She’s behind on her electric bill and fears having that shut off as well. Attempts to get help with her utility bills have so far failed and she was told local charities and community groups are out of funds until 1 November. I heat water in my electric tea kettle and it takes over an hour to get enough for a bath Diana Morgan Magda from Girard, Ohio “I can only eat certain things because I have to use the microwave or electric skillet,” added Magda. “Social security is not sufficient to cover my bills and everything else I need for a month. I was always sending what I could to the utility bills but couldn’t make the payments they asked for.” Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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