A recent study of Help Advisor reveals that, in the last year, 20% of US citizens had difficulty paying their entire energy bill at least once.
Christian Worstell, editor-in-chief of Help Advisor, called the situation “absolutely surprising” given what is presumed a slight acceleration of the problems associated with inflation and energy cost overruns.
Along these lines, Worstell explained that the most vulnerable households tend to be those with children under 18, people of color and people with the lowest incomes, according to a report shared by CNBC.
According to the study, 18% kept their home at an unhealthy or unsafe temperature. Even more people dispensed with their needs to ensure they could pay for utilities, as more than 28% skipped a basic expense, such as food or medicine, to pay their electricity bill in the last 12 months, says Help Advisor. .
“It’s important for homeowners, renters, and businesses to keep costs as low as possible, especially as we approach the colder winter months,” said Kelly Speakes-Backman, Senior Deputy Assistant Secretary for the US Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
US: inflation on the rise
For its part, the US Energy Information Administration recently estimated that almost half of US homes heated with natural gas spend on average 30% more than last winter.
According to the Winter Fuels Outlook 2021 report, the 41% who heat with electricity will spend 6% more in that period. In addition, it is anticipated that homes that are heated with propane or heating oil, 5% and 4% of homes, respectively, could experience an even greater increase in cost.
Propane users are also expected to spend 54% more this winter, while heating oil users could see their bills rise 43%.
The data
- Energy prices are up 33.3% on the year, according to the November consumer price index from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Diesel is almost 60% more expensive than last year, electricity is up 6.5%, and natural gas is up more than 25%.
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