Utility shut-offs have increased by 15% over last year and have disproportionately affected Black households with incomes low enough to receive SNAP benefits, with 14% of those surveyed having had their utilities shut off in the previous 30 days. have laws in place to prevent utility shut-offs during the summer. The National Energy Assistance Directors Association is asking Congress for an increase of $3 billion in funding to help six million households pay their cooling bills this summer. Without this funding people may be faced with a range of heat-related illnesses which can be life-threatening.Ĭlose to 20 million households-1 in 6-owe $19.5 billion in past due utility bills. Unfortunately, federal funds are only available for about 1 out of 6 eligible households, and 85% of the funding is used for heating during the winter months.Ĭongress must address the effects of the climate crisis and tackle this head on. The most impacted by these soaring costs are the elderly and low-income households. The federal government provides funding to states to help low-income households pay for heating and utility bills throughout the year through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). With the heatwave showing no signs of slowing down, people need help paying their utility bills right now just to keep themselves safe. Send a letter to Congress urging them to increase funding for LIHEAP.Įven before the unprecedented heatwave, it was estimated that utility costs would increase by 11.7% from last summer. Millions of people are being forced to choose between paying for food and other essentials or paying for skyrocketing utility bills for even frugal use of air conditioners and fans. July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded and the extreme heat isn’t letting up on large swaths of the country.
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