Electricity bills force 1 in 5 to cut back on food, survey finds
Americans living on a fixed income are particularly vulnerable when electricity costs surge, a Consumer Reports expert says.
Key points
- About one in five Americans say they have cut back on groceries to afford electricity bills, according to a Consumer Reports survey of more than 2,000 adults.
- Roughly a quarter of consumers are turning down heating or air conditioning to uncomfortable levels to lower energy costs.
- Consumer Reports is launching a Power Smarter initiative that includes a CR Bill Decoder service to help households understand and reduce energy costs.
About one in five Americans say they have had to cut back on groceries to afford their electricity bills, and roughly a quarter are turning their heating or air conditioning down to uncomfortable levels to save on energy, according to a new Consumer Reports survey of more than 2,000 adults.
About 80% of people who have lived in the same home for at least three years say their electricity bills have risen over that period. The largest share, 28%, reported increases of between 20% and 49%, and federal data show electricity prices in major U.S. cities have jumped 14% over the last three years.
What the survey found
Consumers are cutting back where they can to cope with rising bills, including switching to less expensive foods and spending less on discretionary items. Sara Enright, senior director of safety and energy at Consumer Reports, said vulnerable groups such as students and retirees on fixed incomes have little flexibility when a surprise bill arrives.
A majority of respondents said they do not believe state utility regulators are protecting their interests. They blame higher bills on utility companies seeking to maximize profits and on the rapid buildout of data centers.
We're hearing a lot of folks who don't know what they can possibly do to afford rising [electricity] rates
— Sara Enright
Pressure on households
Other polls indicate energy costs are weighing on voters ahead of next month's midterm elections, alongside other cost-of-living issues. The cost of food is the top concern for voters in battleground states, followed by gas prices and utility bills, according to an October survey from Climate Power.
Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, told CBS News that more middle-income households are applying for government energy assistance even though their incomes are too high to qualify. He said people on tight budgets may see a $100 to $150 monthly rise in driving costs consume their entire surplus.
A new tool for bills
Consumer Reports said it is launching an initiative called Power Smarter to help households reduce energy costs. It includes a CR Bill Decoder service where consumers can submit electric bills; the group will anonymize the data and use it to analyze trends and map prices across the U.S.
