{"id":13960,"date":"2026-01-11T05:07:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T05:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/us-families-energy-bills-crisis\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T05:07:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T05:07:44","slug":"us-families-energy-bills-crisis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/us-families-energy-bills-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I had no electricity for six months\u2019: US families squeezed by surging energy bills"},"content":{"rendered":"<article>\n<h2>Lead<\/h2>\n<p>In 2025, dozens of American households have faced prolonged power loss and soaring utility debt as retail electricity and gas prices climbed. In Greenwood Lake, New York, Kristy Hallowell lost power for six months after her monthly bill jumped to $1,800 and she could not pay; a local non\u2011profit later negotiated a partial payment to restore electricity. National consumer credit analyses show a rise in severely overdue utility accounts through the first half of President Trump\u2019s second term, while official data recorded electricity prices up 6.9% year\u2011on\u2011year in November. Families, state regulators and advocacy groups warn winter heating costs and new industrial demand could keep bills elevated into the coming months.<\/p>\n<h3>Key takeaways<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Individual hardship: Kristy Hallowell reported an electricity bill spike to $1,800 a month; her household relied on a generator for six months in 2025 and still carries roughly $3,000 in utility debt.<\/li>\n<li>Scale of arrears: Nearly 1 in 20 US households face the risk of having utility debt sent to collections as winter begins, according to recent analysis.<\/li>\n<li>Credit\u2011data trend: The share of households with severely overdue utility debt rose by 3.8% in the first six months of President Trump\u2019s second term (first half of 2025), per a Century Foundation and Protect Borrowers data analysis.<\/li>\n<li>Price inflation: Official US data for November shows electricity prices up 6.9% year\u2011on\u2011year; winter heating costs are forecast to climb about 9.2% this season by the National Energy Assistance Directors Association.<\/li>\n<li>Supply and demand drivers: Higher natural gas prices, reduced clean\u2011energy project deployment and growing demand from large data centres are cited as major upward pressures on residential electricity prices.<\/li>\n<li>Policy tensions: The federal administration has proposed cuts to state assistance funding for utility payments while also pausing some offshore wind lease activity, moves experts say may raise long\u2011term costs.<\/li>\n<li>State responses: Some states, including recent action in Virginia, are weighing or implementing rules to make very large electricity customers pay higher shares to limit rate impacts on households.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Background<\/h3>\n<p>Residential energy costs are shaped by interaction among fuel markets, infrastructure planning and regulatory choices. Nearly half of US electricity generation depends on natural gas, so domestic gas price swings feed directly into power bills; analysts point to increased liquefied natural gas exports and higher global demand as factors lifting domestic gas prices in 2024\u201325. At the same time, a slowdown or cancellation of some clean\u2011energy projects reduces near\u2011term supply additions that might ease wholesale power prices.<\/p>\n<p>Household finances were strained before the recent spikes: rent, insurance and health care costs have been rising, and many low\u2011income consumers entered the period with smaller savings cushions than in prior cycles. Non\u2011profits and legal aid groups report the typical pre\u2011pandemic client utility arrears ranged from roughly $400 to $900, whereas in 2025 they increasingly see balances in the thousands, sometimes above $6,000.<\/p>\n<h3>Main event<\/h3>\n<p>Kristy Hallowell\u2019s case illustrates the human consequences of these trends. After losing her job, her monthly energy bill tripled to about $1,800; unable to pay, the utility cut both gas and electricity. Hallowell, her two children and her mother used a generator for light and heat for about six months in 2025 until a local non\u2011profit brokered a partial payment agreement that restored electricity.<\/p>\n<p>Her gas service remains disconnected and her outstanding utility debt has continued to rise to roughly $3,000. She described the experience as traumatic and said she fears another shut\u2011off as cold weather and higher usage increase bills. Local advocates say similar stories are common among low\u2011income households across the Northeast and other regions with high electricity use.<\/p>\n<p>On a national level, an analysis by the Century Foundation and Protect Borrowers of consumer credit data found the number of households with severely overdue utility debt increased 3.8% in the first six months of President Trump\u2019s second term. Advocacy groups warn that proposed reductions in federal aid to states for utility assistance could worsen these outcomes for vulnerable households.<\/p>\n<h3>Analysis &#038; implications<\/h3>\n<p>Short\u2011term price pressure stems from fuel costs and immediate demand increases. Natural gas price moves directly affect wholesale electricity, and higher LNG exports mean domestic prices are exposed to global markets. Increases in residential electricity of 6.9% year\u2011on\u2011year are large relative to overall inflation and translate into material budget stress for fixed\u2011income and low\u2011income families.<\/p>\n<p>Structural choices will shape whether this stress is temporary or persistent. Pausing or canceling clean\u2011energy projects delays new generation capacity and storage that could moderate prices over time; one climate advocacy analysis attributed a part of the recent bill increase to reduced deployment of such projects. Meanwhile, rapid growth of power\u2011hungry data centres and AI infrastructure adds persistent new demand in regional grids already near capacity, which can raise local wholesale prices and distribution costs.<\/p>\n<p>Policy responses are split between short\u2011term relief and longer\u2011term structural measures. Short\u2011term measures include emergency assistance funds, arrears repayment plans and moratoria on disconnections for specific groups. Longer\u2011term solutions involve altering rate designs, incentivising distributed clean generation and storage, and ensuring large commercial customers shoulder costs reflective of their grid impact.<\/p>\n<h3>Comparison &#038; data<\/h3>\n<figure>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Metric<\/th>\n<th>Reported change<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Electricity prices (US, year\u2011on\u2011year, Nov)<\/td>\n<td>+6.9%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Households with severe utility arrears (first half of 2025)<\/td>\n<td>+3.8% (Century Foundation\/Protect Borrowers)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Projected winter heating cost rise<\/td>\n<td>+9.2% (NEADA)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Estimated electricity bill rise since Trump returned (Climate Power)<\/td>\n<td>+13%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n<p>These figures show parallel pressures across supply, demand and financial vulnerability. The 6.9% year\u2011on\u2011year electricity price rise and the 9.2% projected heating increase both indicate meaningful near\u2011term household cost growth, while the arrears increase reflects the financial squeeze converting price rises into unpaid bills and collections risk.<\/p>\n<h3>Reactions &#038; quotes<\/h3>\n<p>Advocates and analysts framed the issue as both policy and political. Before each quote we summarise the context: the speaker&#8217;s role and the point they were making.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;This is going to be a huge deal, both as a policy matter and a political matter.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Alex Jacquez, Groundwork Collaborative (policy director)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Jacquez was referring to the combined effects of rising bills and policy choices on public opinion and on the pragmatic need for federal and state reforms to protect households while pursuing energy transitions.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Local electricity prices are not one of them.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Scott Bessent, US Treasury Secretary (comment to ABC News)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Bessent used this phrasing to argue that some electricity price differences are driven by state utilities and regulators, signalling limits to federal control over local rates even as the administration addresses affordability messaging.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;People used to owe $400 to $900; now many owe upwards of $6,000.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite>Laurie Wheelock, Public Utility Law Project of New York (non\u2011profit director)<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Wheelock summarised the shift her organisation sees in client arrears, emphasising the greater scale of recent unpaid balances and the resulting increase in account terminations for unpaid bills in 2025.<\/p>\n<aside>\n<details>\n<summary>Explainer: why energy bills can jump quickly<\/summary>\n<p>Electricity prices at the retail level reflect wholesale generation costs, transmission and distribution charges, and regulatory rate designs. Fuel costs\u2014especially natural gas\u2014are a large component of wholesale prices. When new large consumers such as data centres enter a local grid, they can raise peak demand and increase the need for higher\u2011cost generation or grid upgrades, costs which are often passed to ratepayers. Investment cycles in generation and storage take years, so disruptions to clean\u2011energy project pipelines or sudden demand growth can create multi\u2011year price effects.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<\/aside>\n<h3>Unconfirmed<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>The precise share of recent price increases directly attributable to data centres is disputed; while local cases show clear impacts, national attribution varies by region and methodology.<\/li>\n<li>The causal link between specific federal project cancellations and the entire 13% bill increase reported by some advocacy groups is contested and depends on counterfactual assumptions about projects that would have been built and their delivery timelines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Bottom line<\/h3>\n<p>Rising residential energy costs in 2024\u201325 have moved from an economic indicator to a household crisis for many families, particularly those with lost income or limited savings. Cases like Kristy Hallowell\u2019s\u2014where bills tripled and services were cut\u2014underline how price shocks convert into immediate risks to health and housing stability during cold months.<\/p>\n<p>Policy responses must balance near\u2011term relief for vulnerable households with structural changes to clean energy deployment, grid planning and rate design to prevent repeated shocks. States can adopt measures to shield small consumers while ensuring very large users pay costs aligned with their grid impact; federal choices about assistance funding and energy project approvals will shape whether pressure eases or intensifies over the medium term.<\/p>\n<h3>Sources<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/articles\/c1dz0dz0zkvo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">BBC News<\/a> (news report)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/tcf.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Century Foundation<\/a> (policy research organisation; source of consumer credit analysis)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/protectborrowers.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Protect Borrowers<\/a> (consumer advocacy; partnered analysis)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.neada.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA)<\/a> (non\u2011profit; winter cost projections)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/groundworkcollaborative.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Groundwork Collaborative<\/a> (policy advocacy; comment by Alex Jacquez)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/kleinmanenergy.upenn.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kleinman Center for Energy Policy, University of Pennsylvania<\/a> (academic research &#038; expert commentary)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/climatepower.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Climate Power<\/a> (climate advocacy; report on clean\u2011energy project cancellations)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ABC News<\/a> (media interview quoting Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lead In 2025, dozens of American households have faced prolonged power loss and soaring utility debt as retail electricity and gas prices climbed. In Greenwood Lake, New York, Kristy Hallowell lost power for six months after her monthly bill jumped to $1,800 and she could not pay; a local non\u2011profit later negotiated a partial payment &#8230; <a title=\"\u2018I had no electricity for six months\u2019: US families squeezed by surging energy bills\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/us-families-energy-bills-crisis\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about \u2018I had no electricity for six months\u2019: US families squeezed by surging energy bills\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13954,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_title":"US families squeezed by surging energy bills \u2014 Insight Chronicle","rank_math_description":"As electricity bills climb and utility arrears rise, families like a Greenwood Lake mother who lost power for six months face mounting debt and winter risk. Read why prices surged and what may come next.","rank_math_focus_keyword":"energy bills,utility debt,electricity prices,data centres,households","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13960","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13960","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13960"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13960\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13960"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13960"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readtrends.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13960"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}