US Utility Shutoffs Climbed Last Year on Higher Energy Costs
Households lost power more than 1.5 million times for failing to pay bills, an increase over the prior year, a new study shows.
A contractor works on a natural gas furnace in a residential home in Spanish Fork, Utah.
Photographer: George Frey/BloombergUS utility shutoffs of power and natural gas surged last year as home energy costs soared and customers struggled to pay their bills, according to a report from environmental and clean energy advocates.
Power providers cut off electricity because of unpaid bills more than 1.5 million times last year through October in the 30 states and Washington where figures are reported, according to a study released Monday from Center For Biological Diversity, Energy and Policy Institute and BailoutWatch. That was up 29% from the same period in 2021, and gas disconnections climbed 76%.